The moonlight penetrates the veil, and the toes lightly touch the stage. The pinnacle of romantic ballet, "Giselle," born in Paris in 1841, was performed at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre from January 20th to 21st. As the opening act of the 2026 "National Style and Charm Fragrant River" performance season, the Central Ballet Company (referred to as "Zhongba") has returned to Hong Kong after 9 years, performing this classic play known as the "crown of ballet" to the fullest, bridging the gap between Eastern and Western cultures through the ups and downs of their toes. The reason why "Giselle" has remained at the core of the world ballet stage after more than a hundred years is not only due to its poignant love narrative, but also because of its dual ultimate test of dancers' skills and artistic expression - the female protagonist needs to interpret the innocence and romance of a rural girl in the first act, and transform into a ghost in the second act to show ethereal elegance. This huge transformation from "life" to "death" and from "reality" to "virtuality" has become a "touchstone" for measuring the level of ballet artists. Zhu Yan, the leader of the Zhongba troupe, stated that bringing "Giselle" to Hong Kong again after 9 years is not only a tribute to this pinnacle of classical ballet, but also a bridge of art to convey the contemporary interpretation and profound emotions of Chinese ballet artists towards classic plays. The lineup for this performance in Hong Kong brings together the chief and main actors of the theater troupe, representing the highest level and infinite sincerity of Zhongba. We hope that Hong Kong audiences can feel the charm of ballet art and the unique style of Chinese ballet. This is so shocking! This is the best 'Giselle' I've ever seen, the ghost dance scene is breathtakingly beautiful. ”After the performance, Hong Kong citizen Lin Jin was still immersed in the plot. She told reporters that she specially brought her daughter, who is studying ballet, to watch the performance, "hoping to let the child experience the charm of top-level ballet and also let her understand that art is a language without borders." Wang Yu, an audience member from Shenzhen, said that the performance of Zhongba combines the rigor of Western classical music with the poetry of the East. This fusion gives new vitality to classic plays and makes cultural exchanges between the two places more warm. (New Society)