China Shanghai Int'l Arts Festival: Shanghai Ballet sets revolutionary classic to dance

World
Europe

02:51

Thank you, Sun Wei. We'll have more on the Wuzhen Theater Festival. A revolutionary Chinese movie makes its ballet debut at the Shanghai International Arts Festival. The Bright Red Star tells a story of courage and overcoming adversity. Producers, however, found it challenging to combine the grace of ballet with the fighting spirit of revolutionary soldiers. CGTN's Hu Chao shows us.

For the first time on the ballet stage, The Bright Red Star tells the revolutionary Chinese story in a whole new way at the Shanghai International Arts Festival.

Main character Pan Dongzi, a young boy who bravely fights off his enemies, later becomes a Red Army soldier.

But the ballet focuses on Pan as an adult, who frequently reflects on his past and keeps on fighting.

ZHAO MING CHOREOGRAPHER & PLAYWRIGHT, "BRIGHT RED STAR" "The adult Pan Dongzi actually represents the young people of our time. He will bring the young audience back to revolutionary times and lead them to feel the fighting spirit and find the original aspiration that always keeps one going forward."

While it's a challenge to blend romantic ballet with combat scenes, the producers have managed to do so rather creatively.

ZHAO MING CHOREOGRAPHER & PLAYWRIGHT, "BRIGHT RED STAR" "It's quite challenging to combine skirts with soldiers. We've made a bold try. And I believe the combination can show the Chinese spirit in an international way."

HAN JIANG SCENERY & LIGHTING DESIGNER, "BRIGHT RED STAR" "We've adopted strong painting on the stage design. It not only demonstrates a romantic sense of ballet but adds a modern sense to the story. And black, white, grey and red are the main colors we use for the lights. We've also used many montages to show changes of time, space, dreams and reality."

Nearly 80 dancers perform for about two hours.

During four months of rehearsals, they even visited local army soldiers to learn their moves and postures.

HU CHAO SHANGHAI "The original Bright Red Star was first screened in China 40 years ago. However, many today are still deeply touched by this passionate revolutionary story, thanks to its remarkable portrayal by the Shanghai Ballet. Among all the dance shows at this year's arts festival, this one figures to be one of the most inspiring. Hu Chao, CGTN, Shanghai."