Shanghai Ballet - Giselle

THE SHANGHAI BALLET

Xin Lili, Artistic Director

The Shanghai Ballet was officially established in 1979, evolving from the performance troupe of The White-Haired Girl, which was honored as one of China’s "Best Classical Dance Works of the 1970s."

In 2002, the company toured the United States and Canada with The White-Haired Girl. In 2007, their work The Butterfly Lovers was performed in several West Coast cities in the U.S.

In August 2013, the company made its UK debut at the London Coliseum with Jane Eyre. Following the London performances, Shanghai Ballet toured North America once again with productions of La Sylphide and The Butterfly Lovers.

Between December 2015 and January 2016, the company presented The Greatest Swan Lake in the World, directed by Derek Deane, at the Royal Carre Theatre in Amsterdam, as well as in Rotterdam and six other cities across the Netherlands. In August 2016, Shanghai Ballet returned to the London Coliseum with Echoes of Eternity, directed by Patrick de Bana.

In the fall of 2017 and winter of 2018–19, the company embarked on an extensive tour of the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Austria, mounting 72 performances of The Greatest Swan Lake in the World. In January 2020, Shanghai Ballet made its New York debut at Lincoln Center, dancing Swan Lake with the New York City Ballet Orchestra, followed by a tour featuring The Butterfly Lovers. In fall 2023, the company returned to the Netherlands with 37 performances of The Greatest Swan Lake in the World. Most recently, in December 2024, Shanghai Ballet's new production The Lady of the Camellia was performed to great acclaim in Brisbane, Australia.

Andrea Beck, writing for The Diplomat, described the Shanghai Ballet’s appearances in London as a cultural diplomacy effort, highlighting China’s artistic influence in the UK.

The company is currently led by Executive Director Ms. Ji Pingping, a former ballerina with the company, and Artistic Director Xin Lili, a celebrated ballerina in China.