Gala evening of Asian ballet opens Asian Culture Festival

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02:17

In step with the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations, the Asian Culture Festival is now underway in Beijing. Tuesday's opening performance featured a gala evening of Asian ballet. The show is also part of the 19th Meet in Beijing Art Festival.

The National Ballet of China, together with artists from different countries and regions, including China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), the Republic of Korea and the Philippines, staged an Asian ballet performance at Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center.

The show, co-hosted by China Arts and Entertainment Group and the National Ballet of China, featured 10 famous pieces.

"The five ballet companies joining this show all have their different characteristics. This time, we have classic ballets like Swan Lake and Don Quixote. We also bring some pieces of contemporary ballet and ballets with national characteristics," said Wang Quanxing, deputy director of the national ballet of China.

Opening the evening was a segment of Swan Lake performed by the National Ballet of China.

The Don Quixote piece by the Universal Ballet of South Korea allowed audience members to enjoy a classic dance in Spanish style. A different side of the ballet was shown in the original contemporary pas de deux "Cong Cong" by the Hong Kong Ballet.

Ballet dancers perform on stage. /Photo provided to CGTN‍

"This is the first time for us to hold a gala focusing on Asian ballet. Through this performance, we want to strengthen the mutual communication and learning among our countries, so as to boost the development of Asia Ballet and further enhance the influence of ballet worldwide," said Wang.

As the opening act of the Asian Cultural Festival, the gala not only showcased amazing pieces in both classic and contemporary ballet but embodied the fusion of Asian cultures. The Asian Culture Festival includes various art forms like music, dance, and drama, aiming at presenting cultural diversity and mutual learning among Asian countries.

The ballet gala is a vivid example of the richness of Asian culture and its exchanges with other parts of the world.