Shanghai Dance Theatre Makes Boston Debut this January

China Arts and Entertainment Group will present the Boston Debut of the Shanghai Dance Theatre (SDT) in a new production of Soaring Wings: Journey of the Crested Ibis, January 11-12, 2018 at the Boch Center Shubert Theatre, 265 Tremont Street, Boston, MA. The performances will take place on Thursday, January 11 at 8pm and Friday, January 12 at 8pm.

Tickets are $30-$100, and are available online at bochcenter.org, by calling 866-348-9738, or at the Boch Center Box Office, 270 Tremont Street, Boston, MA.

Telling the tale of the nearly extinct crested ibis, Soaring Wings: Journey of the Crested Ibis focuses on environmental protection for and traces the history of the majestic bird; from the time when they freely nested across Asia, to their near extinction due to man-made urbanization, to their glorious return to the wild. The performances aim to raise awareness of the significance of keeping a harmonious relationship with other living creatures, and the interdependence between human beings and nature.

Centuries ago, human beings lived in harmony with these birds-reserved, elegant, sacred and noble, yet also sensitive, vulnerable, and occasionally distant. With the onset of modernization and urbanization, the living environment of crested ibis began to deteriorate and in the middle of the 20th Century, it was declared that crested ibises were an endangered species. In May 1981, Chinese scientists fortuitously discovered seven wild crested ibises in Yang County, Shaanxi Province and today, in China, Japan, Korea and eastern Siberia, with increasingly careful protection, the population of crested ibis has been growing steadily as the birds nest and flourish.

With traditional Chinese music, opulent costumes, and expressive choreography, Soaring Wings stars two of China's most respected dancers, Zhu Jiejing and Wang Jiajun, both principal dancers of the Shanghai Dance Theatre. The story is written by playwright Luo Huaizhen, directed and choreographed by one of China's most notable figures in dance, Tong Ruirui, with music composed by Guo Sida. Since its premiere on October 7, 2014, the show has presented nearly 200 performances around the world.

Soaring Wings is a part of CAEG's Image China cultural exchange initiative, which seeks to introduce traditional and contemporary Chinese performing arts to audiences around the world. Since its inception in 2009, Image China has presented works at performance venues across the globe, including Lincoln Center in New York, The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and stages throughout Europe and Australia. Recent productions include Confucius, Dragon Boat Racing, The Legend of Mulan, and the acclaimed American debut of the Peking Opera star Zhang Huoding.