Literature finds its feet in ballet workshop (2)

"When I first read this novel, I knew that I should make it into a ballet. The custom of foot-binding reminds me of the suffering the ballet dancers go through while practicing," says the 28-year-old choreographer.

Zhang combined Chinese dance, which he studied at Beijing Dance Academy for four years, with ballet in his new work.

Wang, 24, the youngest of the three choreographers, is a big fan of fantasy novels and is keen to display his imagination through his latest work, Yan Shi, based on the novel by Pan Haitian, a young Chinese sci-fiction writer.

"Though the novel was written by a young author, the story was inspired by a fantasy tale in ancient China. I like the story because it connects with our modern society," says Wang, who is still studying at Beijing Dance Academy. The work will be jointly performed by dancers from NBC and BDA.

According to Fei, this year's ballet workshop will see three choreographers work with three young Chinese composers, Shen Yiwen, Feng Jinshuo and Fang Dongqing.

"We used to work on our own to find a piece of music, which we think suits our works. But this time we have to negotiate our ideas with the composers, which is challenging and exciting," says Fei. "Chinese ballet lacks great composers. We hope to find long-term collaborators through the workshop."

Feng Ying, president of NBC, says: "Continuing to develop classical ballet and encouraging young choreographers to create new works has always been the two core missions for us."

The company has just staged its latest production of Giselle in Beijing. The two-act romantic ballet was among the three productions the NBC first staged after it was founded in 1959.

"The workshop offers a rare opportunity for young artists to test their choreographic ingenuity. While NBC is beginning to forge an international reputation, we want to have new ballet works to be seen on the world stage," Feng says.

If you go

7:30 pm, April 25-26. Tianqiao Theater, 30 Beiwei Lu (Road), Xicheng district, Beijing. 010-8315-6300. Half an hour before the performance, the choreographers will meet the audience and discuss their works.