Swan Lake ballet enchants audience in the Netherlands

When the red curtain fell at the World Forum Theater in The Hague on the evening of Aug 28, the 1,500-seat auditorium was packed, and the audience rose to its feet in a sustained ovation, with applause and cheers echoing across the theater.

It was a triumphant opening for the Shanghai Ballet's return to the Netherlands with its large-scale production of Swan Lake, marking the company's fifth tour of the country since 2015.

The audience was struck by the production's sheer scale and precision. In the famous "white acts", 48 dancers appear together as swans, transforming the stage into a sea of white tutus, synchronized movements and intricate formations. Lines expand and contract, dancers glide and turn in precise patterns, and dozens of bodies appear to move as one.

"I've never seen anything like this before. The dancing is excellent," said 81-year-old Thea, from The Hague. "I studied ballet when I was a child, so I really appreciated one of the dance scenes because I know how difficult it is."

Nine-year-old Rosa Honig, who attended the performance with her mother, was particularly impressed by the scale of the production.

"This is the first Chinese ballet company I've ever seen," said Rosa, who began learning ballet at the age of 4. "I was really impressed by how disciplined and professional they are."

The evening also marked the Dutch debut for Qi Bingxue and Tu Hanbin as the Shanghai Ballet's principal dancers. Qi performed both Odette and Odile, the White and Black Swans, while Tu portrayed Prince Siegfried.

"The Dutch audience is very enthusiastic. Every time I tour, I see so many people standing up and cheering for me," Qi said.

It is her fifth tour of the Netherlands with the company. On her first, she was a corps de ballet dancer. She has since risen to become a principal dancer. With greater experience, Qi said, she has learned that each performance should not be forced, but carefully reflected upon — identifying shortcomings and making improvements from one performance to the next.

For British choreographer Derek Deane, who developed the production with the Shanghai Ballet, the 48 swans are at the heart of the experience.

"The breathtaking magic of the 'white acts' with 48 swans on stage brings an extra emotional drive to the production and creates such beautiful and magical shapes and formations," Deane said in an email interview.

The scale is not simply about putting more dancers on stage. It amplifies the drama and visual impact of the ballet while demanding extraordinary precision from every performer.

"Having such a large group of dancers performing together requires an extraordinary degree of precision. Their movements, posture, eyelines and even the direction of their heads have to be highly synchronized," said Xin Lili, artistic director of the Shanghai Ballet.

Swan Lake is one of the defining works of the European ballet tradition. Yet for the Shanghai Ballet, performing the classic in Europe is not simply an exercise in reproducing a Western masterpiece. It is also an opportunity to show how Chinese artists have reinterpreted an international art form.

Monica Strotmann, managing director of Stardust Holding BV, said that the company has previously presented major Russian ballet companies including the Kirov and Bolshoi in the Netherlands. Bringing the Shanghai Ballet to Europe was a bold artistic choice.

"That the Shanghai Ballet is venturing into an art form rooted in Europe is bold and can only be achieved through high quality and effort," Strotmann said. "We can confidently state that the Shanghai Ballet has succeeded in this."

According to Xin, rather than presenting Swan Lake simply as a traditional ballet, the company has sought to create a complete theatrical experience, combining elaborate scenery, varied acts and a refined visual style.

At the same time, the production reflects the Shanghai Ballet's own artistic identity. Ji Pingping, director of the ballet company, explained that Russian ballet may place greater emphasis on jumps, power and expansive movement, while the Shanghai Ballet seeks to emphasize subtle emotional expression, body language and storytelling.

"Everyone may originally have been curious about a Chinese ballet company performing Swan Lake, but ultimately, through a single work, they come to recognize the professionalism of Chinese artists," Ji said.

The Shanghai Ballet's 2026 Dutch tour will last 44 days, taking the company to five cities — The Hague, Groningen, Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Apeldoorn — for 30 performances of Swan Lake. The Hague, the opening stop, is hosting six performances from Aug 28 to Sept 6.

For the company, the tour is more than bringing a spectacular production to Dutch audiences. It is also an opportunity for audiences to encounter contemporary China through an art form that is already familiar to them.

"Through art, audiences can develop empathy and resonance," Ji said. "We hope that through performances like this, the world can see the development of Chinese art and learn more about Chinese artists today."

"Culture knows no boundaries. Only by exchanging knowledge and inspiring one another can we reach enormous heights," Strotmann said.