Three dance shows to shine at Poly

Yang Liping in a promotional photo of “The Peacock.”

‘The Peacock’

Chinese dancer and choreographer Yang Liping will bring her dance drama “The Peacock” to Shenzhen. At age 64, Yang serves as the artistic director of the production and will make a special appearance in the dance. Tim Yip is the show’s costume designer and stylist.

Making its debut in 2012, “The Peacock” has four chapters: “Spring,” “Summer,” “Autumn” and “Winter.” The drama tells of maturation, human nature, life and love, as well as the interplay and fusion between life and cosmic forces.

A scene in “The Peacock.”

Each character represents different facets of human nature, including light and enlightenment, dedication and sacrifice, fear and greed. Human weaknesses are revealed in complex and painful entanglements. The characters eventually find the answer to the rotation of the seasons in dedication and love. It is a story about a peacock but also an allegory for humanity.

                                                                                    A scene in “The Peacock.”

Yang is a native of Yunnan and a member of the Bai ethnic group. Her career took off in 1979 when she was acclaimed for her lead performance in the ethnic dance drama, “Peacock Princess.” She later choreographed and performed “Spirit of the Peacock,” which brought her to prominence in 1986. She performed at the closing ceremony of the 11th Asian Games in Beijing in 1990. Her trilogy, “Dynamic Yunnan,” “Huangshan Impression” and “Pingtan Impression,” has garnered phenomenal success in China and worldwide.

Yip won an Oscar and a British Academy award for designing costumes in Ang Lee’s martial arts movie “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon” in 2001, which also made him the first Chinese ever to win these awards. His striking costume design and art direction for the films “Red Cliff” and “The Banquet,” and the television drama “When Oranges Are Ripe” also won international attention and approval for their humanism and innovative appeal.

Time: 8 p.m., Sept. 25-29

Tickets: 180-1,080 yuan

“The Goddess of Luo”

‘The Goddess of Luo’

Zhengzhou Song and Dance Theater from Henan will present “The Goddess of Luo” inspired by Chinese ancient poet Cao Zhi’s well-known pieces “The Ode to the Goddess of Luo” and “Seven Step Poem.” The story focuses on the love triangle among the poet, his brother Cao Pi and his sister-in-law Zhen Fu. However, this love triangle has not been confirmed by historians.

The Goddess of Luo was the daughter of a heavenly sovereign character Fu Xi in Chinese mythology who drowned and then became a goddess, according to the legend. In Cao Zhi’s “The Ode to the Goddess of Luo,” she is described as possessing great beauty and tenderness. Some readers believe that the poet’s inspiration for the goddess was his beloved sister-in-law or his wife.

Time: 8 p.m., Oct. 25-26

Tickets: 180-680 yuan

“The Nutcracker”

‘The Nutcracker’

“The Nutcracker,” along with “Swan Lake” and “Sleeping Beauty,” are known in the world of dance as “the three brightest diamonds in the crown,” and have remained worldwide sensations. In “The Nutcracker,” the dream of the little girl Clara serves as the main line of the story. Because of all the complete and tortuous plots, vivid and loving characters, abundant and peculiar fantasy, skilled and various expressions, “The Nutcracker” opens the door to fairy tales with its supernatural romantic elements and rich fantasies. These unique features make “The Nutcracker” a remarkable work that responds to the call of humanity and meets the people’s expectations about what fantasy should be.

Presented by the Guangzhou Ballet, its interpretation of “The Nutcracker” will subvert the traditional visual cognition of ballet. The use of modern ballet elements to break the boundary of classical ballet will appear in the new work. These changes have given “The Nutcracker” a distinct modern aesthetic consciousness and a new artistic form, creating a fairy tale possessing a closer and more mysterious fantasy world for all the audience.

Time: 8 p.m., Oct. 28-29

Tickets: 280-880 yuan

Booking: WeChat account “SZpolytheatre”

Venue: Shenzhen Poly Theater, Nanshan District (南山区深圳保利剧院)

Metro: Line 2 or 11 to Houhai Station (后海站), Exit E