Tapping into diverse styles, subjects

"We will further revise the production during the tour as we take in the comments from the audience and critics," Zhao said.

Based on a 1974 movie of the same name, the ballet portrays a young soldier marching with his platoon to fight the invading Japanese troops. In a series of flashbacks, the soldier revisits moments from his childhood, such as when he bid farewell to his father, and when he lost his mother to a fire.

From Sept 2 to 3, a new rendition of Bright Red Star will be presented at the Shanghai International Dance Center.

In November, Shanghai Ballet will launch a new production titled La Traviata at the Shanghai International Arts Festival.

La Traviata is the company's latest adaptation of literary classics from home and abroad. Its previous adaptations include Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet, and Echoes of Eternity, a long narrative poem by Bai Juyi from the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

Hamlet, the ballet, was presented at the Shanghai International Dance Center from Jan 30 to Feb 3 ahead of Spring Festival, and Jane Eyre will be shown in the same hall in June.

Veteran dancer Fan Xiaofeng will play key characters in both plays－as Gertrude, the mother of Hamlet, and Bertha, the mad wife of Rochester in Jane Eyre.

As both characters need to display outstanding emotional expressions and dance techniques, Fan said she is now competent enough to take on such challenging roles because her experience has prepared her well.

"I joined Shanghai Ballet 22 years ago," Fan recalled. "Throughout my career with the company, I danced in the roles of little princesses and now as sophisticated women. I am fortunate to have a long career despite many injuries, thanks to the support of my fellow dancers and our company."

Meanwhile, the ballet Echoes of Eternity will participate in the Chekhov International Theater Festival and be performed in Moscow on May 15 and 16. In the latter half of 2019, Shanghai Ballet will also kick of its 2020 US tour.

In January 2020, Shanghai Ballet will present four shows of Swan Lake at the Lincoln Center in New York, with live music accompaniment by the orchestra of New York City Ballet.

"Lincoln Center is one of the largest and most celebrated art institutions, and artists from all over the world dream of performing there," Xin said.

"We will be making our debut appearance, and we believe our successful performances will help to introduce the cultural brand of Shanghai to the mainstream theater world."