It's that time of the year where dance performers wait with anticipation to hear who the winners are of the coveted "Lotus Awards", China's highest honor in the dance industry. It has entered its final round in Shanghai. After enjoying some sensational performances such as My Impression of Yunnan and The Last Emperor, the local audience and judges can't seem to stop talking about an original dance drama of Farewell, My Concubine. The historical－ drama adaptation of the traditional story was presented by the Shanghai Oriental Youth Dance Troupe. The troupe won great acclaim in last year's First Beijing International Dance Festival for their stirring Wild Zebra.

Dance Drama Farewell, My Concubine debuted last year and did well at the box office. The performance has been further refined since then, with the production crew making improvements to the plot, stage effects, and music.

The story is centered around the power struggle between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang, two leaders of the peasant uprising that overthrew the Qin Dynasty some 2,200 years ago. The struggle is resolved when Xiang Yu is finally defeated by Liu Bang and has his throat cut. Xiang Yu's concubine Yu Ji also dies for love.

The new edition focuses on explaining how the two close friends are transformed into political enemies. Xiang Yu and Yu Ji's love affair and the contradictions between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang are still the two main clues. The improved dance places more emphasis on the par de deux, and stresses the toughness of Xiang Yu and the tenderness of Yu Ji.

(CCTV.com March 10, 2004)