Reimagining a legend
Since its premiere at the Shanghai Grand Theatre in 2022, the dance has been performed at home and abroad. Earlier this year, they presented an updated edition of the production.
Young choreographer Wang Peixian introduced modern dance elements that transform the White Snake's inner world into a surreal, powerful tableaux in the new edition.
The story's earliest recorded version appeared during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Since then, the story has evolved to become a staple in Chinese folk opera, visual arts, and modern pop culture.
Playwright Zhou didn't like the traditional portrayal of the White Snake, who hides her true self for love and suffers from betrayal and persecution before being rescued by her grown son.
In a modern reinterpretation, Zhou reconstructed the story and created a dual space of reality versus the world of her mind. She also redefined the role of the Green Snake, the faithful maid to the White Snake in the traditional story. The Green Snake is performed as the White Snake's alter-ego in the new dance production.
