Muscling up ballet

Khasan Usmanov, founder, Moscow Ballet Theater

"The two lead dancers are our company's principals. They might have had fears when they trained themselves to perform acrobatics and stunts on ice in the beginning, but when the music and light came on, they succeeded onstage," Usmanov says.

Besides Swan Lake, he has led the company to adapt other classical ballet works into repertoires on ice, including Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker.

Over the past decade, Usmanov studied in Moscow Academic Choreographic School and Moscow Choreographic Institute. He has danced with international groups and earned a reputation for being emotional and lyrical on the stage.

He says that he has a deep respect and love for ballet history in Russia.

With a cast of award-winning dancers who are graduates of established ballet schools, such as the Moscow Academy of Ballet and the Vaganova Ballet Academy of St Petersburg, his company has toured the world with classical works, including Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and Giselle.

"The root is always the vast Russian ballet tradition, which needs protection and respect. What we are trying to achieve is to bring it to a contemporary level and to open a new view for the audiences," Usmanov says.

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn

If you go

7:30 pm, Aug 15 and 16. The Theater of Beijing Exhibition Hall, 135 Xizhimenwai Dajie (Street), Xicheng district, Beijing. 400-610-3721.