National Ballet of China: 'Peony Pavilion'

If you’re hoping to immerse yourself in Chinese tradition, beautiful costumes, sets and stylish choreography, then look no further than the National Ballet of China’s production of Peony Pavilion. Don’t see this if you want to immerse yourself in an easy to follow narrative though; I had no idea what was going on and wasn’t any more in the know after reading the synopsis in the programme. However, strangely the narrative seems secondary to the beauty on display in this production. There are themes of Romeo and Juliet-esque love which I can’t say I really saw, and supposedly it’s a tale of love and death with characters appearing in both conscious and subconscious states. I’m none the wiser to be honest since doing a lot of background reading but as I’ve said, it doesn’t really matter. I think the best thing to do here is sit back, relax and take this as a piece of art. There are many interesting aspects to this production and I found much to like about it. First and foremost was the blend of traditional Chinese music and costume with contemporary choreography and ideas. It’s a modern twist to an old Chinese story – think Wayne McGregor taking on Mary Had a Little Lamb, and Fei Bo's affectionate bow to his ancestry has resulted in a beautiful display of serene choreography and creative setting.

I didn’t really know what to expect when the curtain rose on a cold and windy day in Sadler’s Wells last week. I haven’t heard too much about the National Ballet of China and I’m not familiar with their work; however, I was extremely excited to see something new. So often far off lands house fabulous dance companies but when they tour they bring Swan Lake or another tired classic. What a treat in this instance to be fed something completely new and something which we would not often see in London. What first struck me were the intricacies in each movement of the choreography, creating delicate and soft patterns across the stage. The women in this company have some of the most beautiful arms I have ever seen and actually I would have loved to have seen them in Swan Lake, such was the beauty in their fluid bodies. The group pieces in the production are the most beautiful with each arm, leg and tilted head in line. Costumes were floaty with intricate patterns and bright colours (which I’m sure have traditional meanings that I’m unaware of) and circled the dancers beautifully as they glided across the stage. There were also delicate hand movements which reminded me of traditional eastern dances and this was complemented by more balletic pointe work.

A familiar score of Debussy and Prokofiev accompanied the choreography; however, traditional Chinese opera was also sung live by Jia Pengfei over this (the Peony Pavilion was originally a 22 hour Chinese opera!). It took some getting used to this style of song because it is very different from what Western ears are accustomed to but after a while I found it quite enchanting. I think if you understand the story and could understand the lyrics, you probably experienced a deeper meaning to the production. Much was probably lost on me having little knowledge of Chinese history; however, I could still appreciate the talent, vision and beauty on stage. Fei Bo shows talent in creating some very tender and loving moments through his choreography and the pas de deux were exquisite and fabulously executed by Wang Qimin and Li Jun. This wasn’t the most technically demanding choreography, but it served the purpose of creating the mood of the piece. The Peony Pavilion goes beyond the realm of ballet as it’s an all-encompassing production of Chinese culture, traditional classical ballet choreography and creative spectacle. If you are looking to expand your knowledge of ballet or you are keen to try something new then I would thoroughly recommend keeping up with the National Ballet of China and all that they do.

*Photo credits National Ballet of China

With thanks to Sadler's Wells