The song "The Blossom Youth" floats in the air. Beautiful emotions may fleet quickly just like The Blossom Youth, or can only occur in illusions. The ballet A Sigh of Love tells an emotional story of a couple in Shanghai in the 1930s who fell in love but couldn't be together.

 

Sino-France Cooperated Modern Ballet A Sigh of Love is created by Shanghai Ballet based on the experience of introducing western classical productions. Premiered in 2006, its creative team is formed by several well-known artists from China and France. Mr. Bertrand d’At, the choreographer, arranged the movements and characters in a unique way, which fully integrated the plot and the diversity of dance in the production. The plot is set in Shanghai of the 1930s, blending the artistic characteristics of classical and contemporary ballet.

Selected award credits include: Best Work in the 4th National Excellent Drama Exhibition for Opera, Dance, and Musical (2006); Bronze Award of Dance Drama in the 7th China Dance Lotus Award (2009). Dramatic Bronze Prize in the 7th China Dance Competition (2009).

A Sigh of Love was performed in France (2014), and staged in the 52nd Hong Kong Arts Festival as the closing performance (2024).

 

Prologue
The song “The Blossom Youth” is still soaring in the sky like thin fog. The best human love experience may just be as short as the ‘blossom youth’, or only a wishful thinking depending on chances.

Act One
Scene Ⅰ
In 1930s, in front of Shi Ku Men of Shanghai, different kinds of people are passing through the street. A Lin, a cynical man, is teasing with others in the street. Couple WANG and Couple LI moves into the same Shi Ku Men. 

Scene Ⅱ
Under the same roof, Mr. LI, a writer, puts himself into writing. After Mrs. WANG’s farewell to her husband who will go on business to Japan, Mrs. LI goes to work hurriedly. Life looks nothing exciting, but the atmosphere in the Shi Ku Men seems strange.

Scene Ⅲ
Mrs. WANG goes to buy Hun Tun where she meets Mr. LI. A kind of warmth and liking spread between them. 

Scene Ⅳ
In the ball room, the hosts and guests revel in the dance. Couple WANG and Couple LI come to dance. Gradually, Mr. WANG invites Mrs. LI to dance together leaving the ball room discreetly. Mrs. WANG and Mr. LI finally realize the love affair of their spouses. 

Scene Ⅴ
Under the dim light, Mr. LI meets with Mrs. WANG when they come back from work. They pour out the pain to each other and try to comfort the other’s broken heart. The same destiny makes their hearts go closer. 

Act Two  
Scene Ⅰ
The war breaks out. In front of the Shi Ku Men, Mr. WANG elopes with Mrs. LI. A Lin sees them leaving and tells the news to Mr. LI.

Scene Ⅱ
In the sitting room, Madame ZHU, the owner of the Shi Ku Men, sees Mr. WANG’s tie lying on the sofa and remembers the good time of her singing and dancing career. Mr. LI puts his love in his novel. Mr. LI and Mrs. WANG see the illusions of themselves. 

Scene Ⅲ
People are trying to flee from the war while Mrs. WANG is crying hopelessly in the corner. A Lin brings her the news that Mr. LI is waiting for her in a hotel. 

Scene Ⅳ
Mrs. WANG goes to the hotel where their emotion burst out. The sound of bombing is closer and closer. The starting of the two lovers ends because of the war.

Epilogue 
The war ends in a few years and Mr. Li comes back to the Shi Ku Men.  Mr. Li watches Mrs. WANG with a son disappearing in the crowd, leaving himself with a sigh of love.

 

 

Choreographer: Bertrand d’At (1957-2014)
Born in 1957, Bertrand d ' At started his dance studies at the Dijon conservatory in France before joining Maurice Bejart ' s Mudra school in Brussels in 1974 under J. Par è s, A. Plissetski, J. Saussin, R. Philips and M. Gielgud. 

In 1978 he joined Béjart ' s Ballets du XX siècle as a dancer and performed in ballets like The Rite of Spring, Petrouchka, Firebird, Dichterliebe, The Magic Flute, Illuminations, 1st and 10th symphonies (J. Neumeier), Wien, Wien mur du allein, Dionysos (1984). For this last work, he became Maurice Béjart ' s assistant. From 1984 to 1991, he worked as ballet master for the Ballet du XX siècle, and then for the Ballet Béjart Lausanne. He also was in charge of re-staging Maurice Béjart' s works for leading international dance companies: Berlin (Staatsoper and Deutsche Oper). Paris Opera ballet, Kirov Ballet and Australian Ballet among others. He has worked with such leading dancers as Jorge Donn, Jean Babilée, Marcia Haydée, Richard Cragun, Jean-Claude Gil, Marie-Claude Pietragala, Erie Vu-An or Laurent Hilaire. 

In 1993, he was appointed as co-artistic director to the Cullberg Ballet in Sweden together with Carolyn Carlson before founding his own company called Ballet Est in 1996. In May 1997, he was called to the position of Dance Director in the Opéra national du Rhin and Artistic Director of its dance company, one of the leading French repertory dance company.

Bertrand d ' At started to choreograph as soon as 1984. His works include Am Rande der Nacht (Ballet du XXème Siècle -1984), Jours tranquilles (Les Nouveaux Ballets de Monte Carlo -1985). Le boeuf sur le toit (Ballet de I’Opera de Nantes -1986), Autour d'elle (Ballet du XXème Siècle -1986). Les élémens (Ballet national de Nancy -1987), Mourir étonne (Soloists of the Ballet Béjart Lausanne - 1989), Prokofiev' s Roméo and Juliet (Ballet du Rhin- 1990), Ein Tanzpoem (Zürich Opera Ballet- 1991), Die Nacht (Lyon Superior Dance Conservatory-1991). Dichterliebe (Les Nouveaux Ballets de Monte Carlo - 1994), Andréas oder die Vereinigten and Mémoires perdues (Ballet Est - 1997), Swan Lake (Ballet de l ' Opéra national du Rhin - 1998). In Arcadia ego (Ballet de l ' Opéra national du Rhin - 2000) and The Prince of the Pagodas (Ballet de I ' Opera national du Rhin - 2002) The song of the earth (Ballet de l' Opera national du Rhin - 2005).

Playwright: CAO Lusheng
Cao Lusheng is the professor of Shanghai Theatre Academy and used to be deputy editor of Theatre Arts of Shanghai Theatre Academy. As a famous playwright, his representative modem drama works include: Quatre- Vingt- Treize, Red Poppies, Zlusang Zhou' s Trying his Wife, To Be or Not to Be/ Who killed the King, The Gadfty, Sun Yat - sen, Master Hongyi, Jade Zen Master, etc. Selected award credits include: Wenhua Award, National Stage Excellent Project Screenplay Award, etc.

Scenery& Costume Designer: Jérôme Kaplan
Jeróme Kaplan studied at the Ecole de la Rue Blanche, in the stage decoration department until 1987. After that he has been designing costumes and decor for a number of theatrical productions, including Rossini's Barber of Seville, Massenet' s Don Quichotte, and Vivaldi' s Montezuma (all three operas directed by Ariel Garcia Valdes). Jérôme Kaplan also designed the costumes for L' arche de Noé by Benjamin Britten and Journal d'un usager de l' espace written by Georges Perec, with music by Didier Lockwood, both pieces directed by Charlotte Nessi and produced at the Bastille Paris Opera. 

Since 1991, he has created sets and costumes for numerous ballets with Jean - Christophe Maillot and les Ballets de Monte Carlo: L' enfant et les Sortilèges, Romeo and Juliet , Cendrillon , Casse-Noisette Cireus and Œil pour Œil; with Jean - François Duroure L' inaccessible chronique and with Robyn Orlin Rock my tutu for the Ballet de Nancy ; with Zhang Yimou and Xin Peng Wang Raise The Red Lantern for the National Ballet of China in Beijing; with Bertrand d ' At The Prince of Pagodas and Le chant de la terre for Strasbourg Opera ; with Karine Saporta Les Guerriers de la brume and Feu le music hall; with National Ballet of Korea in Seoul La fille mal gardée.

Lighting Designer: Olivier Oudiou
Born in Melun in the outer suburbs of PARIS (France) in 1965 Olivier OUDIOU got the Bachelor' s degree in Drama Studies at Sorbonne Nouvelle- University Paris III (France) in 1987. From 1988 to 1989, he took the training course Régisseurs du Spectacle (Light specialisa-tion ) at ISTS (High Institute of Tecnic Show) in AVIGNON (France). 

From year 1990, Olivier started to do productions. His main production includes Le Quatuord ' Alexandrie , Don Quichotte , Antoine and Cleopatra, The True Story of the Périchole , Le Révizor, etc.