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Natasha Rogai

Shanghai Ballet last appeared in Hong Kong in 2013 with its signature work White Haired Girl, the 1960s communist propaganda classic.
The production this time is A Sigh of Love, created for the company in 2006 by the late French choreographer Bertrand d’At, with designs by another Frenchman, Jerome Kaplan, and a story by scenarist Cao Lusheng.
It was consistently well danced and visually striking, yet failed to come to life.
Coincidentally, the Chinese title is the same as Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love. While the setting here is 1930s Shanghai rather than 1960s Hong Kong, the theme of unspoken love and hopeless yearning is similar.

Two couples, the Lis and the Wangs, move into the same shikumen (Chinese town house) building on the same day.
Mr Li, a writer, and Mrs Wang (these are the only names given for them) are immediately drawn to each other but refrain from expressing their feelings, even when their respective spouses – between whom sparks have also flown – embark on an affair and run away together.

When war hits Shanghai Mrs Wang comes to meet Mr Li at an inn where they finally consummate their love, but they then lose contact in the wartime chaos.
After peace returns, Mr Li goes back to his old home and sees Mrs Wang walking down the street with her small son (presumably his child from their one night of passion).
Why does he not go after her? The ballet ends with Mr Li left alone, heaving a sigh of love and longing, while this reviewer left heaving a sigh of exasperation at his gormless behaviour.
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D’At’s choreography is well crafted and his experience in creating narrative work shows in some imaginative touches – rain pours down (yes, real water on the stage) at the beginning and end of the ballet and the nuances of mutual attraction and hesitation are neatly done.
The scene at the inn where Mrs Wang agonises over whether to sleep with the man she loves is especially effective.
Unfortunately the plot is too thin to sustain a full-length ballet and d’At therefore resorts to far too much padding, with scenes that do nothing to advance the story.

The device of an “illusion” version of the two protagonists, dancing the passionate duets they cannot dance in real life, is confusing unless you read the synopsis (and it’s an odd choice to give the refined Mr Li such a brawny, bare-chested alter ego).
The encounters between Mr Li and Mrs Wang rapidly become repetitive. Random characters pop up with no explanation of who they are supposed to be other than that they are there to fill in the running time with some showy dancing.
There is too little of the “bad” couple of Mrs Li and Mr Wang – a pity, as their relationship is intriguing and creating a counterpoint between the two couples might have made a more interesting story.
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Perhaps keeping these roles so small is intended to show disapproval of immoral behaviour – indeed, could this be why Mrs Li only gets one costume for the entire show while Mrs Wang gets to wear one ravishing qipao after another?
There are three large-scale set pieces: two street scenes outside the shikumen plus a scene in a nightclub with a cabaret routine. While these provide a showcase for the whole of Shanghai Ballet’s large ensemble and are performed with plenty of energy, they feel more Broadway than ballet.
This theatrical aspect (characters also speak from time to time) harks back to the company’s origins with White Haired Girl and other productions in the same style.
The score is the foundation for good storytelling and choreography in narrative ballet, and here this is a problem. I have never before seen a ballet where the house programme gives no information about the music.
In fact the recorded score is a mixture of traditional Chinese music, popular Mandarin tunes at the time, Beethoven quartets and trad jazz by the likes of Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington.
The musical mishmash lacks coherence, and while the jazz sections are fun and right for the period, they come up short compared with the splendid live performance of similar music in Hong Kong Ballet’s recently revived The Great Gatsby.

Kaplan’s sets and costumes demonstrate why he is one of the world’s leading theatrical designers. An ingenious set is transformed seamlessly from a shikumen to a nightclub to an inn; costumes vividly evoke 1930s Shanghai with a characteristic mix of traditional Chinese and Western clothing – and of course those gorgeous qipaos.
The high standard of dancing shows how much the company has progressed since their previous visit here 11 years ago.
The dancers have the typical strengths we associate with Chinese ballet: strong technique and slim, elegant physiques – the women’s feet and legs are particularly beautiful.
Qi Bingxue as Mrs Wang and Wu Husheng as Mr Li gave assured, expressive performances, and He Linyi stood out as the adulterous Mrs Li, bringing some real emotion and complexity to the character.
“Shanghai Ballet: A Sigh of Love”, 52nd Hong Kong Arts Festival, Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre. Reviewed: March 22.


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Shanghai Ballet’s A Sigh of Love: visually impressive, but too much padding and an off-key score

A scene from Shanghai Ballet’s A Sigh of Love. The story of extramarital love in 1930s Shanghai proved too thin to support a full length ballet, even if the the production was visually striking. Photo: courtesy of HKAF

A scene from Shanghai Ballet’s A Sigh of Love. Photo: courtesy of HKAF

A scene from Shanghai Ballet’s A Sigh of Love. Much like Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love, the ballet is about extramarital love among two married couples. Photo: courtesy of HKAF

A scene from Shanghai Ballet’s A Sigh of Love. Real water fell on stage at the beginning and end of the production. Photo: courtesy of HKAF

A scene from Shanghai Ballet’s A Sigh of Love. Kaplan’s impressive sets and costumes were a highlight of the production. Photo: courtesy of HKAF

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Arts & Culture

Like Wong Kar-wai’s film In the Mood for Love, A Sigh of Love is about extramarital love, but the Shanghai-set story proved too thin for a full-length ballet
The music, a mixture of Chinese tunes and jazz, was fun but incoherent. The sets and costumes were dazzling, and the dancing of a high standard


A Sigh of Love, performed by Shanghai Ballet at Hong Kong Arts Festival 2024, had impressive sets, costumes and dancing, but the story was too thin and the score incoherent.


Hong Kong Arts Festival

An assessment or critique of a service, product or creative endeavour.  Film reviews, restaurant reviews, reviews of art exhibitions. (Eg. Crazy Rich Asians: an important film, yes, but a good one?)


Review

Review | Shanghai Ballet’s A Sigh of Love: visually impressive, but too much padding and an off-key score