This paper examines the National Ballet of China, founded on December 31, 1959, tracing its development from a Soviet-influenced experimental company into one of the world's top ten ballet organizations. The paper covers the company's artistic mission, its challenges with underfunding and talent emigration, and its landmark productions blending Western classical ballet with Chinese cultural elements. It also surveys the broader history of Chinese dance, from ancient folk traditions through the Tang Dynasty's golden age, the introduction of ballet in Shanghai during the early nineteenth century, and the formation of the Beijing Dance Academy, which shaped modern Chinese ballet.
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One of the world's top ten ballet companies, the National Ballet of China was founded on December 31, 1959, and has, over the past four decades, consisted of generations of striving and gifted artists. The company has produced outstanding artistic achievements in both Western and Chinese classical and contemporary ballet. It endured difficult periods as well — times of underfunding and an aging membership — yet its artists continued to devote themselves to their craft, pioneering a distinctly Chinese ballet style.
The company was first known as the Experimental Ballet Company of the Beijing Dance School, described as the "cradle of dance." From 1959 to 1963, Russian artists such as Pyotr Gusev exerted a strong influence and helped assimilate Russian school training methods into the Chinese training program. From 1958 to 1960, a collaboration of Russian and Chinese artists successfully produced classical ballets, including Swan Lake, Le Corsaire, and Giselle.
In recent years, the ballet company has undertaken significant reforms, particularly in administration. Younger dancers have been recruited, bringing the average age down to 22. Almost all of them are graduates of the Beijing Dance Academy, where they receive six to eight years of professional training. The company's dancers are now internationally recognized for their solid grounding in classical ballet technique, their all-around artistic sensitivity, and their delicate style. Many have achieved world-class status and won medals from international competitions held in Varna, Moscow, Paris, and Tokyo. A former dancer, Ms. Zhao Ruheng, took over artistic leadership in 1993.
The National Ballet of China's artistic mission is twofold: to introduce Chinese audiences to Western classical and contemporary ballet, and to explore the unique possibilities of fusing classical ballet with Chinese culture. To that end, the company regularly invites world-famous ballet masters to work with its troupe, training its dancers and rehearsing new pieces. The company has already toured more than 30 countries and regions in pursuit of international exchange and communication.
These new international links have also brought challenges. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, some of the most talented dancers left the group to pursue opportunities abroad, leaving behind less experienced young dancers and aging veterans. Despite these setbacks, the company persisted in its dual mission of cultural representation and artistic innovation.
"Landmark ballets and in-house orchestra"
The company's reputation and excellence are also upheld by its in-house ensemble, the National Ballet of China Symphony Orchestra. Consisting of 60 classically trained musicians, it is the only orchestra in China that specializes in ballet accompaniment. The company's in-house production team further deserves credit for its creative and exemplary costumes, scenery, props, headdresses, and ballet shoes.
In its 40-year history, the National Ballet of China has staged Chinese and Western classical and contemporary pieces, all of which have left a strong and lasting impression on audiences. In particular, Raise the Red Lantern in 2003 marked a breakthrough in merging pas de deux with Chinese elements such as Peking opera.
The history of Chinese dance is as ancient as the 5,000-year-old colored pottery vessels discovered in Qinghai's Datong County, which depict three figures in dance. Murals from the Han Dynasty offer further testimony to this tradition, and the art form reached new heights during the Tang Dynasty, as chronicled in works such as Prince Qin's Storming the Enemy Line. The Han Dynasty and 55 other ethnic groups each possess distinctive and rich dance traditions, together performing nearly 1,000 folk dances throughout the country. Among the most well-known are the Han's Yangge dance, Dragon dance, Lion dance, and the colorful lantern dance — in which dancers carry illuminated lanterns — as well as the flower-drum dance, in which performers incorporate drums into their movement.
Most Chinese dances derived from folk communities who danced during communal celebrations, continuing in this form until the Han Dynasty, when a musical entertainment court was established for the imperial court to document and refine folk songs and dances. The political stability and economic prosperity of the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD) allowed poetry, music, and dance to flourish. Tang Dynasty dance absorbed techniques from the Zhou, Qin, Han, Wei, Jin, and Nanbei dynasties. During the early Tang period, the introduction of Buddhism and the expansion of trade broadened social relationships rapidly, and dance was influenced by folk traditions from India, Rome, Persia, Korea, Cambodia, Burma, Vietnam, and other Central Asian countries. Dance also merged with other fine art forms including painting, set design, colorful costuming, poetry, classical music, and drama. These combinations peaked during the Tang era, earning it recognition as the golden age of dance in ancient China.
In the early 1950s through the mid-1960s, Chinese choreographers created dance-dramas drawing from the techniques of traditional opera and folk dance. Examples include Stealing Magic Herbs, Master Dongguo, The Small Sword Society, Luo Shengjiao, Liu Haun, Five Red Clouds, and To the Tune of Die Lian Hua. These dance-dramas reached a peak with more than 100 new productions. Ballet was first introduced to China in the 1950s in the form of traditional Russian and European works, alongside some Western modern dance. Since 1979, Chinese ballet artists have been developing their own genre, drawing inspiration from literary works such as Lu Xun's New Year's Sacrifices, Ba Jin's Family, Cao Yu's Thunderstorm, and Guo Moruo's The Peacock's Courage. Chinese ballet dancers are widely regarded as having matured and achieved international recognition, as evidenced by their awards in international ballet competitions.
"Western ballet arrives and merges with Chinese culture"
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