The Richmond Ballet’s cultural exchange creates new ties between Virginia and the People’s Republic of China.
Wang Ye and Ma Xiaodong perform in Richmond Ballet’s Don Quixote.
Photo courtesy of Richmond Ballet
Wang Ye and Ma Xiaodong perform in Richmond Ballet’s Don Quixote.
Photo courtesy of Richmond Ballet
Richmond Ballet dancers at a rehearsal for Don Quixote.
Photo courtesy of Richmond Ballet
Richmond Ballet dancers at a rehearsal for Don Quixote.
Photo courtesy of Richmond Ballet
Wang Ye and Ma Xiaodong rehearsing for Don Quixote.
Photo courtesy of Richmond Ballet
Wang Ye and Ma Xiaodong rehearsing for Don Quixote.
Photo courtesy of Richmond Ballet
If you’d like to visit China, a travel agent can book you a 14-hour flight to Beijing—or you can get a taste of Chinese culture right here in Richmond through Richmond Ballet’s Road to China program.
The year-long Road to China collaboration incorporates Chinese culture into a variety of Richmond Ballet performances, community outreach events and the ballet’s annual gala, which was held Feb. 28 and celebrated Chinese New Year.
As part of the program, two guest dancers from the National Ballet of China performed in Don Quixote in February, Richmond Ballet’s most recent production. Ma Xiaodong and Wang Ye, who have previously toured the U.S. with China’s national ballet, danced the leading roles of lovers Basilio and Kitri, respectively.
The Road to China will culminate in May when Richmond Ballet performs at the 15th Annual “Meet in Bejing” Art Festival in Beijing, China. The company will also perform in three other cities in China along the tour, including Shanghai.
This is Richmond Ballet’s second international tour (the company visited the Royal Opera House in London, England, in 2012). The company will present a preview of the programs it will perform in China at its studio theater May 13-15.
For more information about tickets and other performances, visit RichmondBallet.com
