Top ballet dancers light up Beijing stage (4)

Adiarys Almeida, former prima ballerina of the National Ballet of Cuba, and her long-term partner, Joseph Michael Gatti, a dancer with the Orlando Ballet in the US, won the warmest applause. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Among all the foreign dancers, Adiarys Almeida, principal guest artist of many noted ballet troupes and former prima ballerina of the National Ballet of Cuba, and her long-term partner, Joseph Michael Gatti, a dancer with the Orlando Ballet in the US, won the warmest applause. After a lively pas de deux from Don Quixote, they gave an encore with dazzling tour fouettes and other breathtakingly difficult moves.

As one of the sponsors, the National Ballet of China took the spotlight in the second part of the gala. Dancers performed the most brilliant piece from their last original ballet, Crane Whisperer, a Chinese version of Swan Lake, as the opening performance of the second half. Against the background of a beautiful sunset, the dance by more than 30 dancers held great appeal for the audience.