Present in each of the scenes is Zhang's distinctive dramatic style -- bold, with high contrasts and sensuous pleasures, yet neat and structurally organized to convey the full strangling effect of feudal society.
Raise the Red Lantern's Beijing premiere in May received mixed reviews.
Some said they felt overwhelmed by the visual stimulation that Zhang presents in the performance and that the combination of different art forms was too much of a jolt. Others lauded the music and said the show could also be a great concert.
Zhang, who had never directed ballet and knows very little about dancing, said the main reason he wanted to work with the National Ballet of China was to attract a larger audience for ballet with his blend of drama and dance.
Though Zhang has never directed a ballet before, he has crossed over into different performing art forms on other projects, as in 1997 and 1998, when he directed the grand opera Turandot in Italy and in Beijing's Forbidden City. In that show, Zhang worked with stage talents from around the world.
As in Turandot, Raise the Red Lantern also features an international crew, with French-Chinese composer Chen Qigang (陳其鋼), German-Chinese choreographer Wang Xinpeng (王新鵬), French costume designer Jerome Kaplan and lighting designer Yves Bernard.
What: Raise the Red Lantern, a ballet directed by Zhang Yimou.
Where: National Theater (國家戲劇院), 21 Chungshan S. Road (中山南路21號).
Tickets: NT$600 - NT$2,500, at Era ticket outlets
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