When legendary German choreographer Pina Bausch heard the National Ballet of China would perform The Red Detachment of Women to open the National Grand Theater on September 25, this year's Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, she extended her stay in Beijing.

"The theater is amazing," says Bausch, who watched the rehearsal in the new theater. "The opera hall for ballet is splendid."

President of the National Ballet of China Zhao Ruheng accompanied Bausch for the show.

"The theater is huge, and the stage is more spacious than those in Tianqiao Theater and Poly Theater," says Zhao. "The size of the huge stage would challenge dancers' abilities to perform with energy."

The principal ballerina Zhu Yan, who performed the leading role in The Red Detachment of Women, shared Zhao's view. "The stage is so huge that it demands a lot of energy from the dancers if they are to command it."

But the dancers are less concerned about the stage's size than the quality of its construction.

"There is a lot of spring in the floor, which would help prevent injury," says Xu Gang, dance master of National Ballet of China, which performed on the opening night.

"There are enough comfortable dressing rooms and washrooms for the performers, making this theater more convenient than all of the other theaters in Beijing."

Zhu says the theater's staff invited the troupe to test the floor before construction was finished.

On the heels of the National Ballet of China's show, the prestigious Beijing People's Art Theater performed its trademark production Teahouse in the Drama Hall of the National Grand Theater on October 1, China's National Day. And that day, actor Liang Guanhua, who performs the leading role of teahouse owner Wang Lifa, celebrated his 43th birthday.

"The building looks so magnificent. The decoration and design blend modernism with traditional Chinese features," Liang says. "We were so excited to perform here that all the cast arrived at about half past 8 in the morning - nearly two hours earlier than most rehearsals."

During the weeklong national holiday, the National Ballet of China performed Swan Lake, the Song and Dance Company of the Air Force of PLA performed the opera Jiang Jie and the Beijing Peking Opera Theater performed Mei Lanfang for an audience that included the constructors of the theater and the Olympic Games complex, in addition to the residents who had to relocate to other homes in order to make space for the theater.

(China Daily October 9, 2007)