'Lady of the Camellias' in Beijing

"The Lady of the Camellias" [Photo/chncpa.org]

Eleven prima ballerinas from Germany's Stuttgart Ballet will be performing "The Lady of the Camellias" at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing starting Thursday, November 8, 2012.

"The Lady of the Camellias" is a novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils, first published in 1848, and subsequently adapted for the stage.

This adaptation is by American ballet dancer and director John Neumeier.

Tamas Dettridge, director of the show, says he's been impressed by the change in China during the past few decades, "I have to say, what a magnificent theater this is here. We dance all over the world. I've been in many theaters. I've been in Beijing. The first time was 1978 dancing here. And the change is remarkable, not just in the architecture, but in the culture, the growth of the country, bring in a new art form and understanding that in one thing more."

The play tells a love story between a courtesan Marguerite Gautier, suffering from tuberculosis, and a young provincial bourgeois Armand Duval.

Armand falls in love with Marguerite and ultimately becomes her lover, convincing her to turn her back on her life as a "courtisane" and live with him in the countryside.

The show will be on stage for three days until Saturday, November 10, 2012.