The ballet Mei Lanfang debuted in the Guangzhou Friendship Theater. As a boldly original, it aroused wide attention and controversy for its combining ballet with traditional Peking Opera.
Although ballet and Peking Opera are two very different classical forms, the director combined them perfectly. Ballet’s toe dance mixed with Peking opera’s orchid-shaped fingers, the performers danced like butterflies to the accompaniment of a symphony infused with Peking Opera tunes. Costumes were developed from Peking Opera, simple yet full of charm of Peking Opera in contrasts of black and white.
“Portray the Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang with ballet, it’s a good theme and innovation,” said Hongxiannu, an actress of Guangdong opera, “the ballet and Peking Opera are both very beautiful, and this drama combines their traits.”
At the same time, there were critics. Some commented that as completely different as they are from one another -- ballet featuring open movements while the Peking opera depends on connotation, Mei Lanfang did not combine the two well.
Some experts also said that the drama did not full reflect the personality of Mei Lanfang. Although the costumes were beautiful, they could not show the characters’ internal charm but instead looked rigid. More over, the simple contrast of black and white could not reflect a colorful life.
Despite its shortcomings, the ballet was a successful attempt of combining the culture of the west and the east.
(CIIC by Feng Yikun 08/17/2001)
