Tapestry of longing and love transcends borders

According to Liao, there's a significant Chinese community in Singapore, and "many audience members were familiar with the novel and their expectations for this classic were met by the production".

Before the performances, the creative team had meetings with the audience, and one young woman impressed them, Liao says. "She recited an excerpt from the novel and told us that she has read the novel more than 30 times," he recalls.

The shows in Singapore were said to be a vivid representation of the results of cultural exchanges between China and Singapore. With more shows to be staged abroad, Liao says, he believes that it will further strengthen the cultural ties and enhance mutual understanding.

The company is making plans for the dance drama's tour abroad, and next year, it will be staged in Japan, the United States and Europe, he adds.

The idea of creating the dance drama started in 2019 and the company launched its own dancing team for the production. What makes the dance drama successful is the young creative team, who transformed the original text into a great expression on stage, according to Liao.

In the dance drama, Li Xing and Li Chao highlighted the number 12, from the 12 beauties, 12 bouquets of flowers, to 12 high-back chairs and 12 colors. They also created the 12 dance pieces with each having its own titles, which are independent of one another, but can be pieced together.

The dance progressed through various scenes from the characters' lives in the Jia family's mansion, such as the fleeting moments of joy at the garden, the pain of misunderstandings, and the sorrow of impending separation.

The audience was captivated as the 12 young women danced in harmony, their movements flowing together like a river, each expressing their unique stories of love, ambition and sacrifice.