The Chinese National Ballet, now widely acclaimed for its technical prowess, is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a major national tour that will include a performance from its heady early days in the 1960s, when it was noted outside the country mainly for its political messages. “The Red Detachment of Women” will figure on the programme as a historical piece, from an era when Mao Zedong’s third wife, former actress Jiang Qing (stage name Lan Ping) became known outside the country as a member of the Gang of Four. The group wielded power over cultural and other institutions, and the arts were put to work to send political messages. Cultural groups such as the national ballet had to walk a fine line as their role changed during the shift from the Cultural Revolution, which ended in 1976 to a relaxation of absolute state control under leaders Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping in the late 1970s and more artistic freedom in the post-1978 period.

“The Red Detachment of Women” premiered in 1964 and is considered the first grand Chinese ballet as well as the first in a truly Chinese style.

Links to other sites: Journeyman Pictures “Dancing from the Communist Cocoon – China” (YouTube video), National Ballet of China, music from The Red Detachment of Women, Xinhua

Video, Swan Lake/Raise the Red Lantern, National Ballet of China

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