Hosted by the Cultural Ministry of China, supported by Zhejiang Department of Culture, and held by Zhejiang Conservatory of Music (ZJCM), the ballet Black and White of The National Theatre Brno, Czech Republic was put on stage at the Grand Theatre of ZJCM on the evening of 23rd October 2017. This programme is part of the 2017 China-CEEC Cultural Season.

Black and White is essentially a contemporary and adapted version of the flagship of the classical repertoire – Swan Lake – a ballet that is without a doubt the most performed across the world. However, this version, which had great success in the USA, represents today’s world. The work attempts to bring to the younger generation a different point of view, contradicting all traditions and as such visually reshaping Swan Lake.  In this production the story is told through the main character of Prince Siegfried, who is going through a difficult life situation associated with the treatment of a serious illness – cancer. Sometimes one second is enough – and life is turned upside down. Siegfried is searching for himself in the beauty of the fair and almost perfect creature that is a swan. Just like the Prince in the classic version of the story, he also faces a choice. White or Black...Is the colour of white really so innocent or is it far more dangerous than black? Some cultures consider black to be much more predictable than white. It’s about how we see things: perhaps paradoxically, black helps us much more to become conscious of our journey.

The audience applauded and cheered for a long time at the end of the performance, which fully demonstrated their excitement to enjoy such high-quality ballet in Hangzhou.

2017 China-CEEC Cultural Season invites CEEC music, dance, and drama performances to China, aiming to promote cultural exchange and cooperation between China and CEEC, and strengthen China-CEEC friendship.