Zhang Yu

JeniZhang13@163.com

THE highly anticipated Shenzhen-made dance drama “Wing Chun” made a stunning debut in Moscow, receiving overwhelming acclaim from audiences as it hit the stage of the historic Bolshoi Theater from Friday to Saturday with three performances.

The premiere drew a diverse and enthusiastic crowd, including local dignitaries and art lovers from across the city. The audience was visibly captivated by the intricate choreography and powerful storytelling, their appreciation evident in the numerous rounds of enthusiastic applause that punctuated each performance and the standing ovations that accompanied every curtain call.

Reaction to the performance was overwhelmingly positive. Russian newspaper Izvestia praised the production for its artistic excellence and cultural significance, noting, “The Shenzhen Opera and Dance Theater brought a play about a national treasure to Russia.”

“I don’t have enough words to express how fantastic and professional it is,” Irina Panfilova, a theatergoer, told Shenzhen Daily on Saturday evening. “The details are in flexibility and lightness.”

Valentina Viter, a 15-year-old student at a local martial arts center called “Young Dragon,” came to watch the dance drama’s first show with the head of the center Friday evening.

“I am interested in the martial art of Wing Chun. I have been practicing it for several years, and I really like it. I hope that through this performance, ‘Wing Chun,’ I will see how this martial art is shown by professionals and how beautiful it can be not only in combat, but also as an art,” Viter said. After the interview, she also gave a brief demonstration of the martial art.

Svetlana Davidenko, a former music teacher, shared she heard a radio advertisement announcing the arrival of a theater company from China and traveled from another city specifically to witness this performance.

“It’s wonderful and magnificent! It seems to me that everyone should be captivated, enchanted, and delighted!” said Davidenko. “For us, Chinese culture is undoubtedly exotic and unusual, yet profoundly interesting and attractive. I would be delighted to study everything related to China.”

The drama, which masterfully combines the elegance of traditional Chinese martial arts with the expressive power of contemporary dance, will continue to captivate Russian audiences with three shows at the world-renowned Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg from April 30 to May 1.