Dance gem set to sparkle

According to Feng, Chinese audiences are familiar with Balanchine's works. In 1987, Serenade, a ballet by Balanchine set to Tchaikovsky's 1880 Serenade for Strings in C, Op.48, was staged in Beijing. From 1996 to 2004, many of the choreographer's works have been staged by the National Ballet of China, such as Allegro Brilliante, which was set to the music of Tschaikovsky's Third Piano Concerto, and Who Cares?, which Balanchine choreographed to 16 songs written by American composer George Gershwin between 1924 and 1931.

"Music has always played a great part in Balanchine's works. Unlike other ballet works, Balanchine's works don't rely on a story. He lets the audience 'see' the music through the performances of the dancers. At the same time, the audience 'listens' to the dance via the music," says Wang Xiaomao, the principal violinist of the National Ballet of China's symphony orchestra.

The ballet's opening section, Emeralds, which Balanchine considered as "an evocation of France", displays the elegance of 19th century French dances to extracts from French composer Gabriel Urbain Faure's suites, Pelleas et Melisande and Shylock.