Bolshoi Theatre Ballet and Orchestra Embark on China Tour in May 2025

The Bolshoi Theatre’s ballet company and orchestra are set to tour China from May 7 to 15, 2025, with performances in Beijing and Shenzhen. This tour is part of the Russia-China Cross Years of Culture initiative and is supported by VTB Bank.

In Beijing, the troupe will perform at the National Centre for the Performing Arts. On May 7 and 8, they will present two ballet gala concerts featuring excerpts from renowned ballets such as The Talisman, Tango, Swan Lake, The Legend of Love, Diana and Actaeon, Romeo and Juliet, The Flames of Paris, Spartacus, and Don Quixote. Principal dancers including Maria Vinogradova, Ekaterina Varlamova, Arina Denisova, Alena Kovaleva, Elizaveta Kokoreva, Maria Koshkareva, Kristina Kretova, Yulia Stepanova, Eleonora Sevenard, Artemy Belyakov, Dmitry Vyskubenko, Egor Gerashchenko, Artem Ovcharenko, Alexey Putintsev, Igor Tsvirko, and Dmitry Smilevsky will perform, with Pavel Sorokin conducting.

Following the galas, the company will stage three performances of The Sleeping Beauty on May 10 and 11. This production, choreographed by Yuri Grigorovich with designs by Simon Virsaladze, returned to the Bolshoi’s Historic Stage in September 2024. Lead roles will be performed by Arina Denisova, Elizaveta Kokoreva, Eleonora Sevenard (Aurora); Dmitry Vyskubenko, Artem Ovcharenko, Dmitry Smilevsky (Prince Désiré); Denis Savin, Igor Tsvirko (Carabosse); Polina Netsvetaeva-Dolgaleva, Alena Kovaleva, Yulia Stepanova (Lilac Fairy), among others.

The tour concludes in Shenzhen, where the troupe will perform two gala concerts on May 14 and 15 at the National Centre for the Performing Arts. These performances will feature highlights from the Bolshoi’s repertoire, with the orchestra conducted by Alexey Bogorad.