In 2017 Yang Liping left Festival audiences reeling in wonder at the ravishing spectacle Under Siege. Now the choreographer known in China as the ‘Peacock Princess’ returns with a work of theatrical imagination even more triumphant.

Reuniting with Oscar-winning designer Tim Yip, Yang here turns attention to one of the twentieth century’s most exalted scores for dance, The Rite of Spring. Featuring Igor Stravinsky’s instantly recognisable music alongside original compositions drawing on traditional Tibetan music, this riveting new production introduces Chinese and Tibetan notions of the cyclical nature of life, death and rebirth.

A household name in China, Yang Liping found fame with Spirit of the Peacock, a tribute to the traditional peacock folk dance of their ethnic upbringing. Since then Yang has risen to become one of her country's foremost dancers and choreographers, relentlessly pushing stage performance in new directions.

We simply couldn’t miss the chance to bring to Melbourne this exhilarating new work from such a major world talent.

^{Warnings: Contains smoke and fog effects}

PHOTO | Yijian Li