On February 21, the National Ballet of China performed its Canadian debut of Raise the Red Lantern in Montreal. The dancers told a story of a traditional Chinese family in the traditional Western form of ballet. Adapted from the 1990 novel Wives and Concubines by Su Tong and telling the story of a young woman who becomes a concubine of a wealthy man during China’s warlord period in the 1920s, Raise the Red Lantern has been presented over 100 times in over 20 countries and regions.

This production is a visual feast for culturally curious international audiences as dancers dressed in gorgeous traditional attire incorporate red lanterns, sedan chairs and mahjong tables into their performance against stunning backdrops.

The ballet performance is the first event in Canada directly resulting from a list jointly published by China and Canada during Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit to China in 2012. The list sets out a series of cultural activities that will be held from early 2013 to early 2014 in order to promote mutual understanding and friendship and boost healthy development of strategic partnership between the two countries.

Source from China Today