Carmen ready or not

Carmen, the steamy stage show by the Alberta Ballet, will return the Beijing stage this week, bringing with it the flamenco dance choreography, red skirts and thick eyeliner that won it a reputation as a sexy stage show. It will be the third time that Alberta Ballet, Canada's third-largest ballet company, will wow Chinese audiences with their unique ballet style, which combines classic ballet, modern ballet and Spanish dance.



The troupe made its first trip to Beijing in 1998 and returned in 2004 for the resounding success that was Beijing's first International Dance Festival.

Since its founding in 1966, the ballet company has won acclaim for its eclectic, bold and youthful programming.

Building on a rich repertoire that includes the ballets of such masters as George Balanchine, Rudi van Dantzig and Canada's Brian Macdonald, Alberta Ballet's internationally renowned artistic director Jean Grand-Maitre has skillfully placed his own dramatic and visual stamp on the company's productions. In 2003, he choreographed and premiered Carmen - a full-length classical ballet adapted from Prosper Merimee's novella and Bizet's ever-popular opera in 2003. Since then, the piece has become one of the Alberta Ballet's most beloved productions and has toured extensively.

"The passion of Carmen in her vivid red dress, the pounding music and the sheer energy of the dancers were too in-your-face to leave anyone indifferent," said Grand-Maitre. "Our troupe swept aside whatever East-West cultural divides exist to tell a story so dramatic that it didn't matter a wit what culture you grew up in; it was simply good entertainment."

The performance on September 25 and 26 in Tiaoqiao Theater will be the last shows of the ballet's China tour, after a hugely successful run in Hangzhou and Shanghai.

80-680 yuan. 7:30pm, Sep 25, 26, Tiaoqiao Theater, 30 Beiwei Lu, Xuanwu District. 8315-6170