To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Belarus, the Academic Bolshoi Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus will give a performance in Beijing.
Sponsored by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and China International Culture Exchange Center, the group will stage the classic ballet "Swan Lake" at the Great Hall of the People on February 5.
Consisting of many world prize-winning dancers, the Academic Bolshoi Ballet Theatre of Belarus was one of the three major national ballet groups from the former Soviet Union.
After the independence of Belarus, artistic director Valentin Yelizariev led the group to continue their superb creations in ballet.
In 1996, in Paris, in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Palace, Valentin Yelizariev was called the best choreographer of the year and won the prize Benois de la Danse for the ballet "Passions."
"I believe the Academic Bolshoi Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus will bring Chinese audiences an original Russian School interpretation of 'Swan Lake,'" said Bai Shuxiang, a renowned Chinese dancer and chairman of the Chinese Dancers' Association.
(China Daily January 24, 2002)
