Fairy tale dances back

The Little Mermaid returns to the stage to celebrate the National Ballet of China's decadelong artistic collaboration with US choreographer John Neumeier, Chen Nan reports.

One of the most layered and fascinating fables of all time about a mythical sea creature willing to give up her identity to pursue her love for a human, The Little Mermaid by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen has seen myriad stage, art and movie adaptations, including Disney's popular 1989 animated romance.

However, very few have been able to combine dance and dramatic storytelling into a stunning spectacle like John Neumeier did. The US artistic director and chief choreographer of the Hamburg Ballet has done more than justice to Andersen's original tale by elevating a fantasy into a sophisticated portrayal of psychological transformation and resilience of the spirit, human or otherwise.

The prologue to Neumeier's The Little Mermaid production, premiered by the Royal Danish Ballet in 2005 to mark the 200th anniversary of Andersen's birth, embodies the poet's longing for a dear friend. During a voyage, when the poet recalls the wedding of his friend, a tear rolls down his cheek and falls into the sea, where it takes the form of a young mermaid.