This is not just ballet, it's Chinese ballet

I don't like ballet and it's not for want of trying; I've been to see several ballet companies perform and I've never enjoyed it. Whilst I'm sure that the elegant movements portray the story and the psyches of the characters involved, all I see is a bunch of people in funny outfits jumping around a bit. In short, I just don't get it. I keep hoping that if I watch enough, I'll have an epiphany and gaze up at the stage in rapt awe.

Whilst I'm waiting for that to happen, I'd like to introduce you to Wu Zhengdan, a Chinese army officer with the Guangzhou Military Area Command. The Chinese take the performing arts very seriously and they have military units dedicated to ballet and opera. Whilst that might seem a little odd, during Mao's Cultural Revolution, ballet, opera and other art forms were severely restricted; only performances that carried sufficiently politically correct messages were allowed to be performed. Opera was used to convey political ideology to illiterate peasants and so too was ballet.

Ballet had been unknown in China until its introduction by the Soviets when the two nations were matey. During the Cultural Revolution certain 'model' operas and ballets were performed all over the country and became the most popular form of entertainment in the country. Unlike in the West, opera and ballet were never seen as elitist, so their mass appeal was genuine.

The Red Detachment of Women - a Chinese ballet showing the liberation of a peasant girl from the island of Hainan and her rise through the Chinese Communist Party. Based on the true story of the all-female Special Company of the 2nd Independent Division of the Chinese Red Army

I find all that fascinating, but it still doesn't make me enjoy ballet. Well, remember I mentioned Wu Zhengdan? She's a member of the Soldiers' Acrobatic Troupe in Guangzhou. She's not only an acrobat, but a ballerina. What's special about her performance is that not only does she perform with her husband, Wei Baohua, but that she combines acrobatics and ballet into something that I could watch all day long.

Sorry the introduction's in French, but you don't need to understand it to watch this

Isn't that just stunning? I'd certainly go and watch a whole ballet like that. Sadly, it has both given me a deep appreciation for the athleticism and grace of a balletic performance, but also ruined all other ballet for me. There ain't no way I can go and watch even the Royal Ballet now without being sorely disappointed. Darcey Bussell ain't shit. Sure, this is just virtuosity pursued as an end in itself, but so what? When it can provoke a stronger emotional response in me than any other dancing I've ever seen, does it really need to be questioned?

I do feel a bit sorry for Wei Baohua (the husband doing all the lifting and carrying) as I'm sure not a single person in the audience is cheering for him. But it's simply a stunning feat that leaves me on the verge of tears every time I see it. Ballet purists will dismiss this as garishly crowd-pleasing 'stunt' ballet that has more to do with acrobatics and gymnastics than dance, but even the most ardent among them would have to admit that this is a simply jaw-dropping feat that brings an excitement and appeal to ballet that is so sadly lacking. No matter how much one spends on costumes and set design, every ballet company is still largely performing the same stuff in the same way that they've been doing it for hundreds of years and that's a shame.


Before I go, I'd like to leave you with another Chinese performance, albeit in a more conventional form of modern ballet. This is a duo whose name translates as literally She Without Arm, He Without Leg and that's about the most direct phrase I've ever seen in Chinese (I'm surprised they're not called something like Phoenix and Jade Turtle Ascend to Heaven). Western ballet companies won't even let you in the door unless you're physically perfect, but this pair have found a grace and mobility through dance that incorporates their disabilities rather than working against them. It's surprisingly stirring stuff and makes me think that perhaps human dignity might just be more important than human rights (quick, name a medallist from those Paralympic Games we pretended to care about just a few months ago). Deng Xiaoping's son was a paraplegic and dedicated himself to improving the opportunities of disabled people in China and that's why they kick everyone's arses at every Paralympics these days. Perhaps it's time we got a bit of a kicking on the ballet stage too.