Yang Liping's Rite of Spring — Peacock Contemporary Dance Company

Overview

More than 100 years ago, Russian composer Igor Stravinsky crafted The Rite of Spring. The ballet became famous not only for its tale of ritual and sacrifice during the eponymous season, but for its avant-garde music and choreography. Indeed, since first premiering in Paris in 1913, it has been held up as one of the 20th century's masterworks.

Returning to Melbourne International Arts Festival after her 2017 hit Under Siege, Chinese choreographer and dancer Yang Liping has reimagined this iconic piece — filtering it through Chinese and Tibetan culture, and taking particular inspiration from the two nations' symbols of nature. Hitting the stage between Thursday, October 3 and Sunday, October 6, the result is a fusion of old and new, east and west, and movement and music, complete with Yang's expressive style, 15 dancers, plus designer Tim Yip, who won an Oscar for art direction for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.