Nutcracker Beijing-style

By Catherine Sutherland, 13 January 2016

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Reviewed at National Centre for the Performing Arts: Opera House, Beijing on 9 January 2016

Chinese New Year (Yuanyuan Wang, Ying Feng, Zhao Ming, Qi Wang, Sizheng Wang, Yixiang Zhang)

National Ballet of China

Zhao Ming, Director

Xun Gong, Set Designer

Ruiding Li, Costume Designer

Jiang Han, Lighting Designer

Zhang Jian, Dancer

Lu Na, Dancer

Zhan Xinlu, Dancer

Sun Ruichen, Dancer

National Ballet of China Symphony Orchestra

An impeccable Giselle in Beijing

Catherine Sutherland, 4th December

Unlike some contemporary Giselle being performed in the West, National Ballet of China’s version harks back to the delicacy and romance of the 1841 original. The choreography performed at Beijing’s NCPA last Friday was strikingly beautiful, wonderfully capturing the profound emotion of the piece.

****1

San Francisco presents Giselle in Beijing

Catherine Sutherland, 23rd October

San Francisco Ballet's Giselle brought enthusiastic Beijingers out in hordes to see Yuan Yuan Tan in the title role at the National Center for the Performing Arts on Friday night.

****1

San Francisco Ballet : a neoclassical programme for Beijing

Catherine Sutherland, 22nd October

On the second night of San Francisco Ballet’s second visit to Beijing, the company treated their Chinese audience to a varied programme: Tomasson’s Caprice, Wheeldon’s Rush, van Manen’s Variations for Two Couples, and Balanchine’s Theme and Variations.

***11

Guillem, always in progress

Catherine Sutherland, 10th October

Explosive and animated, Sylvie Guillem moves with an inimitable combination of energy, joie de vivre and delicacy throughout her final show, Life in Progress, at Beijing’s National Center for Performing Arts.

****1

NoGravity's Divine Comedy

Catherine Sutherland, 26th September

NoGravity Dance present their playful, intriguing and physically astounding Divine Comedy Trilogy at Beijing's National Centre for Performing Arts.

***11

Acosta's Don Quixote for BRB: polished but not quite enough panache

Jonathan Gray, 23rd April

Carlos Acosta's Don Quixote for Birmingham Royal Ballet returned to Sadler's Wells with polished but low-key interpretations across the board.

***11

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Catherine Sutherland

Catherine has recently moved to Beijing, where she writes, studies Chinese, and teaches English at a university. She has an avid interest in East and Southeast Asian performing arts and has also lived in Seoul, South Korea, and speaks Korean. Catherine is a graduate of Royal Holloway, University of London, worked as dance editor for Bachtrack for 6 months. You can read more on Catherine's Wordpress blog Catherine and the Lion

Nutcracker Beijing-style: The National Ballet of China’s Chinese New Year