New 'Fire Bird' tries a jungle beat By JIE JIE for The China Daily
After its sensational performances at the Fourth Shanghai International Arts Festival, the Cape Town City Ballet from South Africa is bringing its dance show to Beijing on Friday.
The programme at the Beizhan Theatre will reflect the diverse nature of the company's repertoire and the flexibility of its dancers.
The highlight is "Fire Bird" choreographed by Christopher Kindo, one of the most promising young choreographers in South Africa.
Set to music by Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971), one of the greatest Russian composers whose works encompass styles as diverse as Romanticism, Neoclassicism and Serialism, "Fire Bird," which was first staged by Sergei Diaghilev's Ballet Russe in 1910 in Paris with choreography by Michael Fokine, is one of the landmarks of the early 20th century in both dance and music.
The story of "Fire Bird" draws upon two Russian fairy tales, "Prince Ivan Tsarevich" and "The Bird of Light and the Grey Wolf," incorporating the story of the evil enchanter Kastchei, whose soul was contained in an egg.
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