Unique Artistry

"Changan Banquet" is a production of Bella Vita melding classical ballet, modern dance, Tang dynasty court dance, traditional folk elements and hip hop into a single entity extending well beyond Chinese culture.

What distinguishes this production is how cultural history and modern technology unite in true fusion, thanks to the creative concepts of Jin Xiaojie, a key creator in last year's Beijing Paralympic Opening Ceremony in both design and execution. "Changan Banquet" reveals a fully cinematic approach to the stage.

To many, the stage is a limited space for a limited number of actors, offering only one perspective from the audience's point of view. Film, however, is an entirely different art form, changing perspectives and reversing order and sequence. "Changan Banquet" is precisely that creative breakthrough, projecting multiple video images onto multiple scrims in various sizes correlating with dancers on stage. The cinematic montage effect enriches the storytelling possibilities, strengthening the impact of narratives.

In order to fully realize Jin Xiaojie's concept, Bella Vita has engaged Redline Communications GmbH (Germany) to produce multimedia footage as well as state-of-the-art audio and projection technologies. "Changan Banquet”extends beyond the stage: in the scene where the Great Wall collapses, projected rocks fall in all directions, even toward the audience.

In "Changan Banquet," music and dance range from Tang Dynasty court dance, Qin Dynasty bronze bells and Shaanxi Province's indigenous music, to Western classical and popular music. Within the musical fabric are such sounds as banhu (two-stringed fiddle), operatic excerpts from Qinqiang, as well as pipa (plucked lute). Musical moods encapsulate many moods of the seven women in those historical eras.

No costs were spared for the costumes in "Changan Banquet." Apart from researching historic records, designers worked to create fashions combining classical and modern inspiration. The gorgeous yet flexible set in "Changan Banquet" recreates palaces, battlegrounds, even deserts and barren steppes, all changing with the blink of an eye through state-of-the-art projections. This is art that calls witness to China past and present, and appeals to the world.