Dancers put new twist on a classic

"For many directors, it's a dream job to direct stage productions based on the epic novel," says Tong Ruirui, director of the ballet production. "It's daunting and challenging on so many levels, such as how to narrow the hundreds of characters in the novel down, and how to tell the story when so many people already know it incredibly well."

Tong is known for directing and choreographing award-winning dance dramas, such as Silky Fan and Ribbons featuring dancer Wang Yabin and Goddess of the Luo River, featuring dancer Tang Shiyi.

This is the first time that Tong has worked with the National Ballet of China and also the first time that she has directed a ballet production.

The novel's importance and place in Chinese culture is also reflected in Redology, the academic study of Cao's Dream of the Red Chamber, one of the four great classical novels of China.

The story of Dream of the Red Chamber has been told through various art forms. In 1958, the Shanghai Yueju Opera House produced its first production of Dream of the Red Chamber, which achieved huge success. In 1962, the production was made into a two-episode film featuring the same cast. Yueju Opera is the second-most popular type in the country, and combines singing, dancing and acting.