Lucia Lacarra, the superstar of the Bavarian State Ballet, performed the classic pas de deux in Swan Lake with her husband, Marlon Dino, as the first performance of the opening gala. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The classic pas de deux and group dance from the Chinese original ballet, The Yellow River, the gala's grand finale, was also performed by the National Ballet of China. Tan Xiaotang, the famous Chinese pianist, was invited to play the torrential melody for the performance. As a fusion of traditional Chinese dance and classical ballet, The Yellow River kept both the masculine strength of traditional Chinese dance and feminine beauty of ballet. The fabulous performance carried the evening to the highest point.

After Friday's performance, a celebration reception was held in the Tianqiao Theater multi-function hall. All the dancers toasted their success in the opening gala and wished the ballet season a complete success. Many top dancers from abroad expressed their happiness at performing on the Beijing stage and said they looked forward to participating in future ballet seasons.

Ding Wei, the vice-minister of the Ministry of Culture who enjoyed the gala on Friday, praised the opening event as a world-class, excellent and a wonderful cultural exchange.

Nearly 30 ballet shows in different styles will be presented until Dec 26. More top ballet troupes, such as the Royal Danish Ballet, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal and German National Youth Ballet, will treat Beijing audiences to their latest works.

The National Ballet of China also prepared six works for the ballet season, including La Sylphide (The Sylph), El Testamento de Amelia (The Testament of Amelia), The Yellow River, The Four Seasons, La Chauve-Souris ( The Bat) as well as Don Quixote.

"As the only national ballet troupe in China, we have a history of more than half a century and great potential. Last year, we celebrated our 55th anniversary with a series of dance shows in China and throughout the world. For the upcoming performance season, we will certainly live up to audiences' expectations," Feng Ying, head of National Ballet of China, told Chinese journalists earlier this year.

Another highlight from the ballet season includes Song of Everlasting Regret, a ballet adaptation of a ninth century narrative poem of the same name by Bai Juyi, presented by Shanghai Grand Theatre and Shanghai Ballet. Xin Lili, director of the Shanghai Ballet, said that they have always strived to "tell Chinese stories on the world stage" and engaged renowned artists, such as French choreographer Patrick de Bana, to infuse an international element to the troupe.

In addition to different shows, there will be exhibitions, lectures, interviews on the history of ballet and a photography contest during the performance season. To increase the popularity of the classic art, the sponsors will hold benefit performances for students on campus and implement a membership program to offer special prices to ballet lovers.

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