The Shanghai Ballet combines fashion and ballet, with Pierre Cardin directing the design of Marco Polo - The Last Mission | Shanghai Ballet | Ballet
The original fashion ballet "Marco Polo - The Last Mission" was jointly created by Shanghai Ballet and Pier Cardin Company. It premiered in 2010 and participated in the opening performance of the 12th Shanghai International Art Festival in China that year. On July 12th and 13th, the Shanghai Ballet Love China's Marco Polo - The Last Mission will be performed at the Shanghai International Dance Center Theater. The drama is based on "The Travels of Marco Polo" and tells the story of Marco Polo, who was ordered by Kublai Khan to escort Princess Kokuo to marry Persia. Despite the various difficulties and dangers of the Maritime Silk Road, the two fell in love over time, but had to bury their deep feelings in their hearts after arriving in Persia.
Original fashion ballet stills from Marco Polo - The Last Mission.
![The Shanghai Ballet combines fashion and ballet, with Pierre Cardin directing the design of Marco Polo - The Last Mission | Shanghai Ballet | Ballet](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/8fea00fd6b984387a6954ad678115c2c.jpg)
Marco Polo - The Last Mission was tailor-made by artists from all over the world for the Shanghai Ballet. Joseph Martinez, then the artistic director of the Spanish National Ballet and currently the head of the Paris Opera Ballet, served as the director and infused the work with a neoclassical ballet style. In addition to integrating the aesthetic of ballet with Chinese style on stage, the duo dance of the male and female protagonists is particularly smooth and romantic. The lines and spatial sense extended in the movements make people feel the charm of "neoclassical". At the same time, unique dance segments such as snake dance, Indian dance, Arabic dance, etc. are overwhelming.
Famous fashion designer Pierre Cardin served as the costume and stage design director for this dance drama during his lifetime. The capital of the Yuan Dynasty, the dangerous Maritime Silk Road, and the Persian Imperial Palace all provided an endless source of creative inspiration for Pierre Cardin and his designers, who designed magnificent and exotic costumes and scenery for dance dramas. The composer of the American drama "Sex and the City" was Daniel Walker, and the music of "Marco Polo" adheres to its consistent fresh style, with beautiful melodies and exquisite orchestration. Fang Fang and Zhang Wei served as screenwriters, balancing the artistic and visual aspects of ballet with the logical development of the story.
![The Shanghai Ballet combines fashion and ballet, with Pierre Cardin directing the design of Marco Polo - The Last Mission | Shanghai Ballet | Ballet](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/1dc96d93ae3cec82b6cd42a5ad6ea1d1.jpg)
In this performance, the male protagonist Marco Polo was played by Wu Husheng, the deputy director and chief actor of the Shanghai Ballet. When Wu Husheng premiered in 2010, he was only 24 years old. Over the years, his interpretation of characters has matured, with delicate and explosive performances. Under his interpretation, the graceful and witty Marco Polo leaped before his eyes. Princess Kuokuozhen is played by Qi Bingxue, the main actress of the Shanghai Ballet. She vividly portrays the sadness and anxiety of the princess's distant marriage, her feelings for Marco Polo, and her reluctance to part ways.
Marco Polo - The Last Mission was invited to perform at the 10th Yekaterina Maximova Ballet Festival in Chelyabinsk, Russia in 2018, winning praise from Russian audiences, media, and critics. In August and September 2019, the drama was invited to perform at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and Brussels, Belgium.
![The Shanghai Ballet combines fashion and ballet, with Pierre Cardin directing the design of Marco Polo - The Last Mission | Shanghai Ballet | Ballet](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/1337a8944d4f298b78dd8f4e63e26a97.jpg)