“Under Siege”, a classic contemporary dance directed and starred by Yang Liping, returned to the stage of Kunming once again at Yunnan Grand Theater on August 15, after its successful American debut in New York last weekend. 

Yang Liping, China’s leading choreographer and probably the most famed Chinese dancer worldwide, was born in Dali, southwest Yunnan province, in 1958. And this dance came to life in 2015. 

As an avant-garde fusion artistic work, “Under Siege” has incorporated a wide range of traditional Chinese elements, such as paper-cutting, costumes of Peking Opera and martial arts into contemporary choreography and the stage effects associated.  

It narrates the history of an epic battle occurred between two Chinese kingdoms, the Chu and Han, over 2,000 years ago. The dance yesterday was presented in a highly symbolic and dramatized way in which daggers and blood were artistically replaced by scissors and red feathers, respectively.

“Under Siege” recently finished their U.S. debut at the David H. Koch Theater of Lincoln, New York city on August 10, as a highlight of the 53rd Mostly Mozart Festival of this year. 

This time’s dance is a big thank to the audiences of Yunnan, my home, for their constant support to my career and life,”said Yang.  

Her other works include Dynamic Yunnan, a globally famed masterpiece which has been performed for over 4,000 times since 2003.