Marguerite embraced Armand, and the Shanghai ballet dancers staged the last scenes of "The Lady of the Camellias" for the press on Saturday.

"The Lady of the Camellia" written by Alexandre Dumas can be regarded as the immortal treasure of world literature. It was put on the ballet stage in the late 20th century. Up to now, there have been several versions and it has always been celebrated.

Renowned British conductor Michael England will perform with his Shanghai Opera House Orchestra at the performances.

The ballet tells the tragic story of a July Monarchy in France: Margaret, who had become a socialite for a living, fell in love with Armand, a young man from a wealthy family. However, the confinement of the noble class's moral concepts, many misunderstandings and incomprehension became an insurmountable gap between them and Margaret eventually fell ill and died.

This version was created by choreographer Derek Deane, artistic director of the Shanghai ballet and former artistic director of the British national ballet.

To highlight the tragic color of the story and dramatic conflict, Deane use flashback technique, with the heroine Margaret life dying moment as the beginning of the dance drama, which leads to her and Armand break through the secular, sincere and warm but twists and turns helpless love.

"This ballet is created from the perspective of the heroine. When I was choreographing, I was not limited to the framework of pure classical ballet. Instead, I integrated the characters' personalities into each dance segment," said Deane.

British choreographer and costume designer Adam Nee has recreated 19th-century French society and countryside with hundreds of hard-edged props in 60 categories for the ballet "The Lady of the Camellias".

"We are very glad to have our own version of 'The Lady of the Camellias', after several months of preparation and hard rehearsal, we can finally grand debut dedication audiences in Shanghai," said Xin Lili the artistic director of Shanghai Ballet Company said to the press.

The Shanghai ballet will launch its own version to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its founding which will run from September 29, 2019 to December 1,2020.