Forging bridges on tippy toes

At the launch of Beijing's newest ballet company, the stage became an extension of the classroom. Students from the Beijing Dance Academy's ballet department moved through their daily exercises under the watchful guidance of their teachers, offering a glimpse into each movement's discipline and years of training.

For these young dancers, the performance also offered an idea of what lies ahead. The newly established NCPA Ballet under the National Centre for the Performing Arts aims to turn that training into a professional career, bringing together one of China's leading performing arts institutions and a renowned dance academy that nurtures talent and explores new possibilities for ballet in China.

The NCPA Ballet was formally established on Oct 16, marking a new chapter in cooperation between the NCPA and the Beijing Dance Academy.

The ambition is to build a troupe with an international profile while exploring how ballet, a form rooted in Western classical tradition, can express contemporary life and Chinese culture.

The company plans to recruit dancers from around the world, complete its initial formation, and make its stage debut in 2026. Alongside a classical repertoire, it will develop original productions and experiment with new forms of dance expression.

For Xiao Xiangrong, vice-president of the Beijing Dance Academy, the challenge is not to master ballet's demanding techniques but to find a language of movement that speaks to modern audiences.

The academy, with more than 70 years of experience in ballet education, hopes the new company will turn that technical foundation into an artistic language that can tell stories about contemporary China.

Through the dancers' bodies, Xiao said, the company will tell China's stories and convey the spirit of the times.

The partnership brings together two different strengths. The NCPA offers a major performance platform with experience in producing and presenting large-scale works, while the Beijing Dance Academy provides professionally trained young dancers and an established teaching system.

The company will be based at the NCPA's Taihu Stage Art Centre. Its initial talent pool will include graduates of the academy's affiliated secondary school and undergraduate ballet department, alongside artists recruited internationally.