In their ground-breaking China tour, Ballet International from Indiana, the United States, will perform a new signature repertoire - "A Thousand and One Nights" - at the Cultural Palace of Nationalities from January 20 to 27.

The company will also bring "Carmen," a one-act ballet choreographed by Alberto Alonso which tells the timeless seductive tale of a Gypsy girl.

And "Russian Treasures," a compilation of scenes collected from some classic Russian repertory including excerpts from "Swan Lake," "Raymonda," "The Sleeping Beauty," and "Paquita," will also be staged.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for our company," said Eldar Aliev, Ballet International's artistic director.

"We will be taking ballet to thousands of people, giving us the opportunity to show the world what Indianapolis, Indiana, has to offer in terms of culture and quality of life."

He expects his company to perform to full houses in Beijing, and generate considerable attention in the Chinese media.

"I know that classical ballet is currently finding enormous popularity in China, so I hope Beijing's audiences will enjoy our performances," said Aliev.

Premiered in April 1995, the two-act full-length ballet "A Thousand and One Nights" is choreographed by Aliev and features costumes and stage setting created by former Kirov staff.

Scheherazade, the mysterious young woman who wins the heart of a powerful Persian sultan with her beauty and her stories, opens the show.

Then in the exotic ballet, Scheherazade weaves the stories of Aladdin, Sinbad, Ali Baba and others based on the tales of Arabian Nights.

"Aliev's 'A Thousand and One Nights' is spectacular in theme, music and staging," said Ou Jianping, local dance critic. The China correspondent of the US Dance magazine has previously seen the show in the United States.

"The excellent dancers deserved a strong standing ovation for their technique as well as their characterizations," he said.

The powerful score by Fikret Amirov, percussive and by turns monumental and romantic, was written specifically for the ballet.

The choreography is challenging, with some breathtaking partnering in the athletic Russian style.

Motifs like slashing arms, flexed wrists, mirror shapes and balances, hip shimmies, turned-in attitudes and folk-tinged stomps threaded throughout.

"The story is built on the conflict between the four leading characters," explains Aliev. "The partnering is very challenging - all the pas de deux, except for the opening one, are done when the dancers are exhausted."

He added: "There is no pantomime in this ballet. The story is expressed by the movement. That's also a challenge."

Aliev favours full-length spectacle ballets in the tradition of the former Soviet Union.

"I try to present the productions in their original beauty. The ballet is a combination of several art forms. My goal is not just to illustrate the music by movement," though Aliev says he was inspired by the compelling score, "but to tell a story. To touch hearts, brains, souls."

Before joining Ballet International, Azerbaijan native Aliev enjoyed a 13-year career as a principal dancer with the Kirov Ballet, appearing in more than 30 countries.

With his commanding presence and unique interpretation of leading roles in such classics as "Swan Lake," "La Corsaire," "Spartacus," "Don Quixote," and "Paquita," he quickly became a Kirov favourite and sought-after guest star.

He has also been a guest star with the Australian Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet and other companies around the world.

"What distinguishes Aliev from his peers is his musicality, artistic expression, his virtuosity as a solo performer and his strong partnering abilities," commented Vladimir Vasiliev, artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet.

Aliev "is truly an extraordinary dancer and has inspired young dancers from many countries. He is the best example of the style and an exceptional partner," said Irina Kolpakova, former prima ballerina and coach with Kirov Ballet.

In 1992, the former star of Kirov Ballet emigrated from Russia to the United States to perform as a principal dancer for Ballet International after being petitioned and admitted to the United States as an "alien of extraordinary ability."

Aliev's vast expertise and experience in the world of classical ballet quickly catapulted him through the ranks of the company.

In 1994, a mere two years after he set foot on US soil, he was named artistic director of Ballet International Indianapolis, Indiana's only professional ballet company.

Under his artistic direction, the ballet company earned an international reputation for excellence in a remarkably short time.

Utilizing his creativity and connections in the dance world, Eldar Aliev has quickly transformed the local ballet of Indiana into an internationally acclaimed ensemble.

Aliev recruited many outstanding dancers from the Bolshoi Ballet, Boston Ballet, New York City Ballet and the Joffery, as well as expanding the repertoire to include the finest in classical and contemporary ballet, and created a number of remarkable productions that have garnered acclaim from international dance critics, such as "A Thousand and One Nights," "The Nutcracker" and "The Fire Bird."

(China Daily January 20, 2003)