GALA culminated in the closing ceremony, with Chinese and foreign stars appearing in turn, and the sixth international ballet performance season ended.

This weekend, GALA, the closing ceremony of the 6th China International Ballet Performance Season and the celebration of the 70th anniversary of Tianqiao Theater, came to an end at Tianqiao Theater. World-renowned ballet artists gathered at the Tianqiao Bridge to perform ballet masterpieces spanning classical and modern, with different styles and genres for the audience. The performance season that lasted for nearly two months ended successfully with cheers from the audience.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of Tianqiao Theater and the 10th anniversary of China International Ballet Performance Season. In 2013, the first China International Ballet Performance Season was held in Beijing, and then held every two years. For more than ten years, the performance season has gathered top artists from 59 academies and troupes in 28 countries on five continents.

The 6th China International Ballet Festival was approved by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, hosted by the Central Ballet Company and hosted by Tianqiao Theater, with the strong support of Beijing Xicheng District Culture and Tourism Bureau, and kicked off on November 17th, 2023. In the past two months, artists from China Central Ballet, Russian Bolshoy Theatre Ballet, Russian St. Petersburg Aifman Ballet, German Stuttgart Ballet, German National Youth Ballet and other world-renowned ballet companies competed on the same stage, putting on 10 major dramas and 23 performances, attracting nearly 28,000 spectators to the Tianqiao Theater.

This performance season was grandly opened in the symphony ballet "Ode to Joy and Bright Xinghai". As the host, the Central Ballet presented many classic dance dramas to the audience. From george balanchine’s brilliant symphonic ballet Jewellery to John Neumeier’s masterpiece of modern and contemporary ballet The Little Mermaid, from China’s version of "Nutcracker" and "New Year" to "Approaching Ballet", which put the ballet on the stage behind the scenes, the strength interpretation of Chinese and Pakistani artists has deeply touched countless audiences.

The Efman Ballet, which represents the highest level of Russian contemporary ballet and is known as the "new business card of Russian ballet", has once again returned to the stage of the performance season. The performance of two classic masterpieces, anna karenine and yevgeni onegin, made the audience feel the unique artistic style of the ballet again, and the emotional expression and dramatic conflict of ballet were vividly presented, which once again set off a ballet craze.

During this period, the Aveman Ballet also held a master class, which made the children in China feel the teaching characteristics of the world’s top dance companies at close range. In the master class, Ilya Osipov, the instructor of the Aveman Ballet, gives lectures to professionals and amateurs of different ages.

The German National Youth Ballet "The Road of Light-The Evening of John Neumeier and Other Works" presents the audience with the work "In the Blue Garden" by the world choreographer John Neumeier and the fragments of modern ballet works with various styles. Its innovative and rich artistic expression forms create a unique ballet audio-visual feast for the audience.

Poster of performance season, source: Tianqiao Theater

In addition to the wonderful stage performances, 40 "Ballet Art Lectures" were broadcast online, which explained the dazzling beauty of ballet art for the audience from the most professional perspective. The 70th Anniversary Exhibition of Tianqiao Theater, China International Ballet Exhibition Season, Ballet Creative Space, Approaching Ballet and other colorful art popularization and public welfare activities have enabled the audience to gain rich ballet knowledge and have full communication with ballet artists.

In the last two days, GALA, the closing ceremony of the performance season, was full of stars-Qiu Yunting, Li Wentao, Zhao Xinyue, Guan Yizheng, Li Jiefu and Chang Si Nuo of China Central Ballet, international ballet stars Lucia Lacarra and Matthew Godin, and the chief ballet dancers of Russian Moscow Grand Theatre, Elisabetha Kokoleva and Dmitry Smiljevski. Masaya Yamamoto, the chief of the Japanese K-Ballet Dance Company, and the ballet stars such as Dennis Drojuk and antonina Skobina, the "DNA" group, all appeared.

"This is my third visit to Tianqiao Theater, and I remember it was also GALA’s performance for the first time. I have very good memories here, and this time I will never forget it. " International ballet star Lucia Lacarra said.

Elizabethan Kokoleva, Chief Ballet of the Bolshoi Theatre in Russia, performed in GALA. Source: Tianqiao Theater.

Elisabetha Kokoleva, chief of the Ballet of the Bolshoi Theatre in Russia, said: "I am very happy to be here. This theater is very beautiful. I am very honored, and it is great to perform with other excellent artists."

Liu Jingwei, general manager of Beijing Tianqiao Theater and secretary-general of the 6th China International Ballet Performance Season, said that Tianqiao Theater has written splendid chapters for the cultural and artistic exchanges between China and foreign countries in the past 70 years. While always adhering to elegant art, Tianqiao Theater will continue to build professional dance theaters, establish its own artistic brands, and make unremitting efforts to create high-quality artistic life for the general public.

Editor-in-Chief: Fan Jianghong

Author: Zhang Yu

Photo source: Xinhua News Agency reporter Jin Liang photo

Photo editor: Xiang Jianying