QiXi

Magpie Bridge

Ballet dancer in a flowing beige dress performing on stage with a scenic backdrop of a body of water and mountains

Ballet for 48 dancers

Created on the 10th of August 2024 for the Liaoning Ballet (China)

Stage design | Alain Lagarde

Costume design | Aleksandar Noshpal

Dramaturgy | Martin Chaix and

Costume design | Aleksandar Noshpal

Lighting design | Tanja Rühl

Choreographic assistant | Eleanor Freeman

Orchestra conductor | Victor Jacob

Musics | Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and Xiaogang Ye

Original cast | Sun Huixin (Zhinü), Zhang Haidong (Niulang), Ma Miaoyuan (the Ox), Qiao Linya (Queen Mother), Pei Jinhua (Sister Green)

Chi Linna (Sister Teal), Xu Jingyao (Sister Pink), Zhang Gehan (Sister Purple), Hao Yun (Sister Olive), Zhang Yikun (Sister Peach)

A woman in a flowing orange and black traditional dress performs a dance on stage, with a large illuminated circular structure and a minimalist background.

Tales are the eternal witness coming to us from the dawn of time. They speak of the people who have existed in the past and all those through whom it has passed. By telling their stories, we add our souls to their journey through time and stir up the embers of their truth.

With their transformative power, they shape our collective past, present, and future, moulding our imagination and emotional language.

By immersing myself in this founding love story of Chinese culture, I could see through this window and grasp what is part of its collective emotional history. Doing so awakened in me all sorts of memories and emotions from my own culture and the tales that nurtured me since a young age. From these different influences, a strong bond that binds us all as human beings appeared to me as an obvious common trait: love.

Love - universal, passionate, and tragic - is the heart of this ballet. I sought to portray it as a common thread, weaving through the narrative. The eternal love of Zhinü and Niulang, the fraternal love with the Ox, the joyful love of the villagers, the tender and faithful love of Zhinü's sisters, the compassionate love of the magpies, and the violent but ultimately maternal love of the Queen Mother, all are manifestations of this universal theme.

Creating a brand new ballet around this beloved story for the Chinese people, mixing it with my own cultural references, pieces of music from the beautiful compositions of Ye, Debussy and Ravel and finding a common voice in all of this makes a unique piece that speaks to all of us, different in our upbringing and culture but linked with a similar heart and desire to love and be loved.

Two ballet dancers performing on stage, with a backdrop featuring moon and clouds. The female dancer is dressed in a light blue traditional costume, and the male dancer is in dark attire. They are in an artistic pose.

Two ballet dancers performing on stage, with a backdrop featuring moon and clouds. The female dancer is dressed in a light blue traditional costume, and the male dancer is in dark attire. They are in an artistic pose.

Two ballerinas performing on stage, one in the foreground with her arms gracefully extended and the other seated in the background, both wearing flowing costumes and ballet shoes, with a dark background and subtle stage lighting.

Two ballerinas performing on stage, one in the foreground with her arms gracefully extended and the other seated in the background, both wearing flowing costumes and ballet shoes, with a dark background and subtle stage lighting.

A ballerina performs on stage, wearing a flowing white skirt and a patterned top, with hair adorned with flowers, in a pose with one arm raised and head tilted back, lit by soft stage lighting.

A ballerina performs on stage, wearing a flowing white skirt and a patterned top, with hair adorned with flowers, in a pose with one arm raised and head tilted back, lit by soft stage lighting.

A female performer dressed in traditional Chinese costume with long, flowing yellow and gold robes, performing on stage with a dark background.

A female performer dressed in traditional Chinese costume with long, flowing yellow and gold robes, performing on stage with a dark background.

Performance of dancers on stage with a starry night sky and swirling galaxy projection in the background

Performance of dancers on stage with a starry night sky and swirling galaxy projection in the background

Two ballet dancers performing on stage with a dark blue background that depicts a nighttime scene.

Two ballet dancers performing on stage with a dark blue background that depicts a nighttime scene.

A dancer in a gold and red traditional costume performing a dance on stage with a plain background.

A dancer in a gold and red traditional costume performing a dance on stage with a plain background.

Ballet dancers perform on stage with a group in the background. Two dancers in the foreground are dressed in flowing costumes, one sitting with her head resting on her knees and the other dancing with a smile. The background is dark with minimal ligh

Ballet dancers perform on stage with a group in the background. Two dancers in the foreground are dressed in flowing costumes, one sitting with her head resting on her knees and the other dancing with a smile. The background is dark with minimal lighting.

A ballet dancer in an orange and white flowing dress performing a dance move on stage with a dark background.

A ballet dancer in an orange and white flowing dress performing a dance move on stage with a dark background.

Ballet dancer performing on stage with a scenic backdrop of a river and bridge during night.

Ballet dancer performing on stage with a scenic backdrop of a river and bridge during night.