Ruslan Skvorsov and Evgenia Obraztsova, principal dancers of the Bolshoi Ballet, performed the most brilliant piece from the classical ballet, The Sleeping Beauty. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Ding Wei, the vice-minister of the Ministry of Culture who enjoyed the gala on Friday, praised the opening event as a world-class, excellent and a wonderful cultural exchange.

Nearly 30 ballet shows in different styles will be presented until Dec 26. More top ballet troupes, such as the Royal Danish Ballet, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal and German National Youth Ballet, will treat Beijing audiences to their latest works.