City starlets to shine in 'Swan Lake'

However, after its initial reign of glory, the Royal Swedish Ballet was neglected in the 19th century and languished in the shadow of the Royal Danish Ballet. A turning point came with the arrival of Michel Fokine in 1913 and his productions of "Les Sylphides" and other ballets dragged the troupe into the 20th century.

"We have the best technique in Sweden," says Onne, who has been a member of the company since 1978. "People should be able to watch our dancers for only a few minutes and be able to say 'That's the Royal Swedish Ballet. It couldn't be anyone else'."

The company will perform the most classical of classic ballet, "Swan Lake," which in this Shanghai version is enhanced with an air of romantic Gothic tragedy.

"I want new creations, but I don't want the dancers 'crawling on the floor.' I want them to use the techniques they've been trained for since they were nine," says Onne. "That's what I'd like to do with the company - old things and new things but with classical ballet as a base."

The ballet is one of the 80 performances to celebrate the third anniversary of the Shanghai Oriental Art Center in June and July. The center has hosted 1,300 shows for 1.5 million audience since its founding.

Among these performances were not only high-end concerts by the world's top orchestras like Berliner Philharmoniker and BBC Philharmonic Symphony, but also low-price (30-yuan) concerts and free music lectures to popularize classical music. The Art Center will also upgrade its Website www.shoac.com.cn (with English version) with more functions such as online ticket purchase and audio-video downloading.

Date: June 14-16, 7:15pm

Address: 425 Dingxiang Rd, Pudong

Tickets: 180-1,280 yuan

Tel: 6854-1234