Spinning around

By Gena Tuffery, December 20, 2007 @ 10:57 am

The Royal New Zealand Ballet is on a three-leg tour that is much more graceful than it sounds

Invited to perform at the Shanghai International Arts Festival last month, the company decided to take the opportunity and pirouette with it—adding Beijing and Hangzhou to the itinerary.

The company is performing Trinity, a three-part work that most notably includes the company’s new take on Cinderella. After playing to full houses throughout New Zealand, it’s now fitting the Chinese bill like a glass slipper.

Of course, you can’t have a rendition of Cinderella—nor a royal company—without a prince. Qi Huan (left) is particularly pleased to have secured the role, as it’s the first time his China-based family will see him perform.

But Huan’s not the only one who’s excited. Artistic director Gary Harris says of the tour: “It puts us in the same league as some of the world’s best dance companies that have toured China in recent times.”