Scene from Carmen, in which Zhu Yan and Li Jun play the leading roles. Provided to China Daily

Feng Ying (left), National Ballet of China's director, and Yu Long, artistic director of China Philharmonic Orchestra. Jiang Dong / China Daily

When China Philharmonic Orchestra joins National Ballet of China to present French choreographer's Roland Petit's master works, sparks are bound to fly, Chen Jie says.

National Ballet of China (NBC), the nation's best ballet company, and China Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO), its best classical orchestra, will, for the first time join hands. On March 4 and 5, they will collaborate to perform legendary French choreographer Roland Petit's Carmen and L'Arlesienne, at Poly Theater.

Although NBC has its own orchestra whose quality is very close to that of first-level orchestras in China, Feng Ying, NBC's director believes "the collaboration with CPO will create a different chemistry".

Feng reveals the company has been mulling a collaboration for some time now but it took three years to zero in on ballets with the kind of great music that would amply display CPO's artistry.

"Dancing has been part of music probably since the first notes were played. Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky and Prokofiev composed quite a few great ballets in the 19th century. But I didn't want to play Swan Lake or Romeo and Juliet which have become a clich on today's ballet scene," says Yu Long, artistic director of CPO.

Finally they settled on Petit's two contemporary works which are set to French composer Bizet's music and the renowned choreographer himself taught NBC's dancers in November 2005.

Although CPO has played plenty of opera music, including Carmen, it is the first time they will be accompanying a ballet. "Standing in a pit orchestra is a bit different from being on stage. I will try to lead the orchestra to support the dancers instead of focusing only on the music," Yu says.

Known for his theatrical choreography, Petit is one of the most in-demand figures in the world of dance. Ballet companies around the world feel honored to stage Petit's works and have him as a guest choreographer. The master, however, sets stringent standards for the troupes performing his productions.

NBC first approached him through the French embassy in 1993, but he did not come onboard until 2005 when China's pool of ballet talent finally won him over.

Then 81-year-old Petit was amazed by the Chinese ballerinas and particularly praised four girls who, he said, were exceptionally talented and world class.

He presented a triple bill of Carmen, Le Jeune Home de la Mort and L'Arlesienne.

Even though Carmen has celebrated its 5,000th performance since Petit's Ballet de Paris premiered it in London in 1949, less than eight companies, including the prestigious American Ballet Theater, has ever been allowed to stage it.

After his first visit to NBC in July 2005, he wrote a letter to Zhao Ruheng, then NBC's president, saying, "It is my great pleasure to have my ballet Carmen interpreted by the wonderful National Ballet of China ... The artistic direction of Madame Zhao, the Chinese dancers, their rhythm, their technique and beauty will be a feast of youth for Carmen, Le Jeune Home de la Mort and L'Arlesienne."

For that debut Petit chose Wang Qimin, the ballerina who impressed him the most in the company, to dance the leading role in L'Arlesienne. This weekend Wang will again play the role in Poly Theater.

While Carmen is so familiar to audiences that it needs no introduction, fewer know of L'Arlesienne, a short story about a man about to marry a woman he does not love. He is obsessed with a phantom woman he has never seen. The marriage happens, the bride is unable to elicit an emotional response from her new husband, and he goes mad at the end, killing himself by leaping through a window.

Petit uses Bizet's popular L'Arlesienne Suite No 2 as the music. The stage backdrop comprises vistas of distant mountains with a large sun in the sky, all rendered in the Van Gogh style.

The Farandole dance music which builds to a climax in the last scene, when the young man leaps through a window, has been lingering in my ears ever since I watched NBC's show in November 2005 and is one my favorite dance music pieces. The Van Gogh-style backdrop is also deeply enshrined in my memory.