As part of the celebrations of its 45th anniversary, the National Ballet of China embarked in mid-November on a national tour.

After touring Shanghai, where it performed to close the Shanghai Arts Festival, the company reached Hong Kong by the end of last month, where it is a regular visitor.

The second of the four performances was attended by Tung Chee-hwa, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR.

On its last visit to Hong Kong in 2002 as part of the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the National Ballet of China performed Zhang Yimou's ballet Raise the Red Lantern.

This time, as a contrast to that Chinese-themed ballet, it has brought two different programs of Western masterpieces from both the 19th and 20th centuries, drawn from its extensive repertoire.

It was certainly good timing for the National Ballet to present as its second Hong Kong program a Balanchine evening including its latest-acquired Balanchine ballet The Four Temperaments. Staged by Nilas Martins of the New York City Ballet, this ballet was premiered by the company in January 2004 to celebrate the centennial year of George Balanchine, the greatest choreographer of the 20th century.

The Hong Kong public no longer get the chance to see Balanchine's ballets because the troupe no longer performs the choreographer's works.

The Four Temperaments was the most vibrantly danced of the three Balanchine ballets in the program, which also included two of the master's earlier masterpieces -- Serenade and Theme and Variations.

The Four Temperaments was an ideal work to display the National Ballet's current strengths -- especially its female talent. Meng Ningning, who led the Sanguinic section with Sun Jie, danced incisively and Zhu Yan was radiant as ballerina in the final Choleric section.

Both principal dancers also performed "Serenade" in the two different casts. Zhu Yan was expressive in the waltz, and Meng Ningning was quite ravishing as the Russian ballerina.

Serenade could be accused of giving a rather lacklustre performance from the "corps de ballet," which danced rather mechanically.

The company danced more vividly in Theme and Variations. Another principal dancer Zhang Jian made a confident debut, dancing in the second cast and dancing lucidly.

Zhu Yan as first-cast ballerina was sublime, her eloquent and silken dancing conveying every nuance and feeling of Balanchine's choreography. Long-limbed and fine-boned, Zhu has delicacy as well as strength, and above all a fine musicality.

She is undoubtedly one of the finest ballerinas in the world at present. Li Jun in turn was respectable.

The National Ballet opened the Hong Kong tour with Sylvia earlier in the week.

This production, with Lycette Darsonval's choreography based on Louis Merante's original 19th century choreography for the Paris Opera Ballet, was restaged in Beijing in September by several ballet masters from the Paris Opera Ballet.

This premiere was a highlight of the current celebrations of the "Year of France in China".

The three-act ballet, set to Delibes' enchanting score, has a good variety of choreography. It has a flimsy story about a shepherd Aminta falling in love with the beautiful nymph Sylvia, who is captured by the hunter Orion.

The sets and decor were only adequate and could have been grander.

Sylvia was danced on the opening night by Zhu Yan. Zhu has a pure classical temperament ideal for this title role. She sparkled in the technical fireworks in her solos and in the duet in the last act.

Li Jun was the shepherd Aminta, and was dazzling in his solo in Act 3.

In the ensemble sections of this ballet the women in the "corps de ballet" were an example of grace and harmony.

The music for all four performances was sumptuously played by the National Ballet's Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Zhang Yi.

The National Ballet's short tour to Hong Kong was a success, and their Balanchine program was arguably the best ballet program shown here this year.

The company is currently touring Shenzhen, with two Chinese-themed ballets -- Raise the Red Lantern, and Red Detachment of Women.

The final stop of this national tour will be Macao where it will again perform Sylvia and the Balanchine program on December 10-12.

(China Daily December 6, 2004)