Ballet commemorating French dancer staged in Beijing

La Chauve-Souris (The Bat), by renowned French dancer and choreographer Roland Petit, was performed on stage at Tianqiao Theatre in Beijing on Oct 3.

Presented by the National Ballet of China, the ballet, with shows running till Oct 7, is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Petit, as well as marking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of China-France diplomatic ties.

Petit worked with the Chinese ballet company for the first time in 2005 with the performances of Carmen and L'Arlesienne. In 2006, Petit worked with the company again, staging his Pink Floyd Ballet.

In 2014, marking the 90th anniversary of his birth, the National Ballet of China staged La Chauve-Souris, its China premiere.

Premiered by the Ballet National de Marseille in Monte Carlo in 1979, the ballet piece is based on the classic comic operetta Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss II.