Iconic dancer Yang Liping brings grand production to Edinburgh

The production uses Tibetan symbols of nature. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

One of China's most iconic dancers, Yang Liping, will bring her version of Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring to the Edinburgh International Festival this week, offering spectators a new interpretation that draws on symbols of nature from China and it's Tibet autonomous region.

The production, which blends Chinese folk dance with contemporary choreography while using Stravinsky's original music and a specially created new score inspired by traditional Chinese music, will be staged at the Edinburgh Playhouse from Thursday to Saturday.

Yang said: "The Rite of Spring is such a grand and challenging piece of music that it would undoubtedly be a milestone achievement for any choreographer to create his or her version, and I am so glad to take up the challenge".

A household name in China, Yang descends from the Bai ethnic group out of Dali, Yunnan province. She is a first-class national dancer, and the vice-chairman of the China Dancers Association.

A lover of dance from early childhood, Yang never underwent any formal training, but with her natural talent became a unique and distinguished performer. She won nationwide fame for her first original dance piece Spirit of the Peacock in 1986.

Since then, Yang's performances have received huge acclaim, both in China and internationally. The Rite of Spring is her second contemporary dance piece following the success of her previous work Under Siege, which received widespread critical acclaim at its European premiere in London in 2016.

In her reworking of The Rite of Spring, Yang said she incorporated multiple Chinese elements, predominantly Tibetan culture, with which she believes Western audiences can easily resonate."Because we human beings have a lot in common," she said, "we share the same human nature, and there is no boundary for human emotions such as love, hatred, birth, death, desire, dedication and sacrifice."[page]

The Rite of Spring will be staged at the Edinburgh Playhouse from Thursday to Saturday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Yang said she adapted the original production with an oriental twist to provide Western audiences with a different prospective. "Thematically, the work was in a linear structure, depicting the journey of a woman from birth to death, and then from being selected to being sacrificed, a typical Western style of logic and way of appreciating aesthetics.

"In our version, I have rearranged the structure into a more circular way, making it from birth to death to reincarnation, which is a very oriental way of thinking," she explained.

When it comes to the idea of choreography, Yang conceded that she strives to break some fixed boundaries, such as those between traditional and contemporary, the oriental and occidental.

"These concepts exist in history, as well as in the theory of the academic researcher, but for me, as a modern choreographer, I do not think I should be bound by these concepts in the process of creation," she explained.

The production brings together an international and creative team, including 15 dancers and Oscar-winning designer Tim Yip, who is best known for his work on 2000 martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction.

The idea of re-making The Rite of Spring was initially proposed by the Sadler's Wells Theatre in London and by the Shanghai International Arts Festival, both of which were convinced that given Yang's sufficient accumulation of knowledge and expertise, she could offer a unique representation of this great piece of music. The production was first staged at the Sadler's Wells Theatre from May 9 to 11, 2019.

Joanna Baker, managing director of the Edinburgh International Festival, said: "We are thrilled to bring this remarkable reworking of The Rite of Spring to Edinburgh, marking the International Festival debut of Yang Liping.

"Yang is a superstar choreographer in China－she embodies a unique fusion of ancient and modern Chinese traditions, and it's exciting to showcase her work in Edinburgh where it can be enjoyed by dance fans from all over the world," she added.

Editor: John Li