Shanghai Ballet "The Butterfly Lovers"

The Shanghai Ballet returns to the Lenfest Center for the Arts to present their signature Chinese ballet, The Butterfly Lovers. Based on an ancient legend often considered the Chinese equivalent of Romeo and Juliet, this tragic ballet tells of Zhu, a young woman who disguises herself as a man to pursue her studies, and her classmate Liang, with whom she falls in love even though she is betrothed to another. This heartbreaking tragedy is filled with luminous costumes, spectacular sets, and gorgeous choreography performed with exquisite skill by these gifted dancers.

First introduced to U. S. audiences during its coast-to-coast tour in the fall of 2002, the Shanghai Ballet performed The White-Haired Girl on the Keller stage to a two-day, sold-out crowd.  The company subsequently presented more than 1,700 performances of The White-Haired Girl and established its predominant position in the international ballet world.  Ever since, the Shanghai Ballet has enchanted audiences around the world with its interpretations of classical Chinese and Western ballets.