Performer: Shanghai Ballet

Quality and quantity go hand in hand in Derek Deane's grand production performed by Shanghai Ballet.

Transforming a novel for the screen always risks alienating authors and literary fans. Vicious pruning becomes even more necessary when a novel is adapted for a dance production, making the Shanghai Ballet’s reinterpretation of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre a high-stakes gamble.

With a spiralling staircase accessing a rooftop observation platform, the Grand Opera’s open architecture is intended to welcome visitors whether they attend a performance or not.