Bordeaux National Opera Ballet to perform at the National Centre for the Performing Arts to conclude China tour

The Bordeaux National Opera Ballet will perform the romantic ballet masterpiece La Sylphide and the third act of Don Quixote adapted from Cervantes masterpiece at the National Centre for the Performing Arts from May 18 to 19, concluding the troupe China tour. On May 17, Manuel Ondre, director of the Bordeaux National Opera and general manager of the ballet, said in an interview at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, “We have specially arranged two sincere works for this tour, and we hope that the special performance arrangement will immerse the Beijing audience in the beauty of ballet.”

According to reports, the Bordeaux Dance Company will perform "La Sylphide", a representative work of romantic ballet, at the National Grand Theater this time, performing "French" dreams in the pointe dance, and will also present the third act of "Don Quixote" adapted from Cervantes's masterpiece. The play was created by choreographer Marius Petipa in 1869 and is one of the most popular ballet works. The version presented this time is choreographed and adapted by José Martínez, who was appointed director of the Paris Opera Ballet in 2022. The "Showmanship and Enjoyment" version, which brings together countless famous scenes of ballet, has already made the audience expect the value of the ballet to the maximum. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, and it is also the China-France Cultural Tourism Year. This time, the Bordeaux National Opera Ballet of France came to China for a tour. For a month, the tour set sail from Shenzhen, passed through Xi'an and Shanghai, and the last stop of the tour came to Beijing. At each stop, the dance troupe will stay for about a week, visit museums for sightseeing and learning, or interact closely with local ballet companies."This is a very different approach from previous tours. Before, we didn't stay in the performance city for long and had to leave in a hurry before we could get to know the local culture. This time, we want to have a deeper spiritual communication with everyone," said Manuel Ondrej.

During this tour, Manuel Ondre observed many details. "I found that most of the audiences in China are families, that is, parents bring their children to watch, but in Western countries, most of the elderly audiences sit on one side, and the children sit on the other side with their parents, unlike China, which is a very integrated state. I think this is very important for future development and audience cultivation." Manuel Ondre said that he saw a kind of exploration and curiosity from the Chinese audience, "This is a very harmonious atmosphere." In 2012, the Bordeaux National Opera Ballet performed in China, and returned to China for a tour 12 years later. Many actors of the dance company lamented the earth-shaking changes in China. Manuel Ondre came to China for the first time in 2016 and was invited to give a speech to students of the Conservatory of Music. "I felt a positive energy and a strong desire for knowledge and creativity, which was very surprising. Since then, I decided to come to China once a year." In Manuel Ondre's view, the open and inclusive mentality of the Chinese people is the most attractive."Art is the best bridge, and I hope to do more to promote exchanges and understanding between China and France." He said that he hopes to have the opportunity to invite some other French artists to co-create an opera with the National Grand Theater in the future. "In the future, I think the most important thing is not business or money, but cultural exchanges and understanding between people. I hope to promote and deepen our understanding of each other in this way."