National Ballet of China: The Peony Pavilion

China's answer to Romeo & Juliet

Written in 1598, The Peony Pavilion is one of the most enduring love stories in Chinese literature. Originally performed as a Kunqu Opera in a staggering 20 hour cycle, choreographer Fei Bo has translated it into a sublimely enchanting and pioneering two act ballet that fuses Western style choreography together with traditional Chinese influences.

Premiering in 2008, it has become a gem in the repertoire of the National Ballet of China and they have toured it extensively throughout the world to wide acclaim. With an eclectic post-modern score by Guo Wenjing that references Holst, Prokofiev and Debussy, among others, and ethereal costuming by Emi Wada, it is a sumptuous feast for the eyes, ears and emotions.

Dream, interrupted. The Story of the Peony Pavilion.

On a fine spring morning, Du Lianiang, the daugther of a nobleman, takes a stroll in the garden, where she is lulled into a transformational sleep. In her dreams she sees a handsome young scholar, Liu Mengmei, a man she has not met in reality. They fall passionately in love, so much so that when she is awakened by a falling petal, she cannot let go of their affair and her lovesickness soon kills her..

Upon entry to the underworld, she discovers their love was predestined, and she must return to her living form so they can marry. Now it is her turn to inhabit the dreams of Liu, and find away to come back to life...