Beautiful Du Liniang falls asleep by the Peony Pavilion and dreams of Liu Mengmei, a lover she has never met. She wakes in despair and asks the Flower Goddess to find her lost love. Unable to find him, Liniang dies of a broken heart and is forced to turn to the Infernal Judge of the Underworld for help.
Fei Bo's sensuous choreography is a mesmerising fusion of western classical ballet, complete with a full corps de ballet, and traditional Chinese dance. The Peony Pavilion is one of the most famous love stories in Chinese literature, a deeply romantic tale of the power of love to conquer death. Read more …
This is a full-scale ballet production with lavish sets and sumptuous costumes. It is set to an enchanting and passionate original score by Guo Wenjing, incorporating references to Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé, Holst's The Planets and Prokofiev's Scythian Suite, performed by the National Ballet of China Symphony Orchestra. This is a ballet for dance-lovers of all ages.
Although framed in minimalism, it brings huge waves of emotion until, in the end, it carries the full weight of the ballet as the dancers are reduced to a parade of colour.
This is a work which imprints stunning images upon the mind time after time.
A sumptuous fusion of East and West, the ballet was a feast for the senses.
A bold and beautiful ballet for a new age.
The National Ballet of China bring The Peony Pavilion to Edinburgh Festival 2011
The people's republic of dance
A love that conquers all
Step-by-step guide to dance: National Ballet of China
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh from Saturday August 13, 2011, until Monday August 15, 2011. More info: http://www.edtheatres.com/festival