During September 24th to 28th in 2012, the National Ballet of China would present the classic ballet Little Mermaid at Beijing Tianqiao Theater. The play was written and directed by John Neumeier and was the first play in recent years which was from the masters in the ballet circle. In the news conference of the play, John Neumeier expressed the idea that he hoped the play could bring new experience to the Chinese audience for he thought a new rehearsal of the play was another re-creation of the play for the different actors would give new feel to the characters in the play.
John Neumeier was a famous American ballet dancer, choreographer and director. He was the director and chief choreographer of the Hamburg Ballet. He was regarded the greatest and most creative top art master in the modern ballet circle even the international culture and art circle. For decades, he had led the Hamburg Ballet improved as the top ballet group in the world. As a creative artist, he created many masterpieces which drew much attention and praise from the outside world. Many foreign students who came to China to study Mandarin in China said John Neumeier was really a genius of ballet. They were also familiar with many works he created like the Lady of the Camellias, Vatslav Nijinsky, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the Little Mermaid. The brilliant creator also wrote many plays according to the symphonies of Mahler.
The large-scale fairy tale ballet Little Mermaid was created by John Neumeier by invitation of the Royal Danish Ballet to celebrate the 200th birthday anniversary of the Danish fairy tale writer Andersen. Many people at home and abroad must know the great fairy tale writer. And those who happened to study in China and many Chinese adults said they were mostly brought up by the stories of the great writer.
The chief source of the play Little Mermaid was based on the fairy tale of Andersen Daughter of the Sea. The play performed the beautiful and dolorous little mermaid perfectly and presented the comparison between the visual world and reality world. The comparison between the quiet sea world and the complex human world was the highlight of the play.