Dancers perform on the stage

    Chorographer John Cranko's (1927-73) magnificent Onegin is one of the most ravishing narrative works in the history of ballet. He created it for Stuttgart Ballet in 1965 and it has become the famous company's trademark repertoire.

    Stuttgart Ballet first toured China in 1980 and its performance of Onegin impressed the Beijing audience overnight. Some 28 years ago, National Ballet of China finally got the copyright to perform the work and its premiere at Tianqiao Theater last December thrilled Reid Anderson, current artistic director of Stuttgart Ballet.

    "Thank god, you only have a three-year copyright to perform it.

    You gave such a wonderful performance I worry that if it became part of your repertoire, you would do better than my company," Anderson told the Chinese dancers at the premiere celebration party.

    So if you missed the show last December, don't miss the second run this weekend at the National Center for the Performing Arts.

    In three acts, the dramatic and emotional work is based on Alexander Pushkin's novel-in-verse about arrogant aristocrat Onegin, who rejects the love of the naive young Tatiana, only to realize later that he made a terrible mistake in throwing away his one chance of happiness. The story inspired a Tchaikovsky opera of the same name and several movies.

    Cranko set his ballet to a number of Tchaikovsky's piano and orchestral works arranged and re-orchestrated by Hurt Heinz Stolze.

    The National Ballet of China's leading ballerinas, including Zhu Yan, Zhang Jian and Wang Qimin, will each perform Tatiana, with respectively Huang Zheng, Hao Bing and Li Jun in the title role.