BALLET AND MODERN DANCE

     The Chinese love ballet and has a special fondness for Swan Lake.It was the first full-length ballet performed after the founding of the People Republic of China . A ballet version of Raising the Red Lantern has drawn some attention.
Margot Fonteyn started her long dance career in Shanghai, in 1933. A number of Russian dancers taught in China and had great influence there until the 1960s when relations between China and the Soviet Union began falling apart.
Chinese have done very well in international ballet competitions. Chinese classical dance and ballet have many similarities and Chinese dance training is in tune with the training required of ballet dancers. Beryl Grey, a British ballerina who was recruited to whip the Beijing Ballet into shape in the 1960s wrote: “I had not expected to see such good limbs and well arched feet. Their backs were unusually supple and their extensions high without any apparent forcing. The oriental fluidity of their arm movements was particularly suited for Swan Lake as were their long slender necks. But I was perhaps most impressed by the dignity and poise, the quiet composure and concentration with which they tackled everything.”
Shen Wei is a highly acclaimed choreographer. Trained in Chinese opera, he was a found member if China's first modern dancer company and now works mostly out New York. Some pieces have featured near nude dances. Other were inspired by the painter Francis Bacon.
Huang Dou Dou is an internationally-known dancer and choreographer. Born in 1977 and based in Shanghai, he is known for creating elegant dances that combine martial-art-like movements with Peking Opera gestures.