In Person

Breaking Boundaries: The Rebirth of Lady White Snake — A Creative Dialogue with Tan YuanYuan and Zhou Ke

July 24, 2025

6:00 - 7:30 PM ET

Step into a world where ancient legend meets bold innovation.

For centuries, the legendary Tale of the White Snake has enchanted audiences with its themes of love, transformation, and resilience. Now, it is being reimagined like never before—through a powerful fusion of ballet, Chinese classical, and modern dance.

In this exclusive evening at China Institute in America, get a behind-the-scenes look at Lady White Snake, the Shanghai Grand Theatre’s daring new adaptation that redefines the boundaries of dance and storytelling.

Join Tan YuanYuan, internationally acclaimed ballerina and Artistic Director of Lady White Snake, alongside visionary director Zhou Ke, as they share the emotional and artistic journey of bringing this groundbreaking production to life. Discover how their creative team wrestled with identity, aesthetics, and innovation to give new voice to a timeless tale.

✨Bonus Experience: Try out the production’s striking snake-inspired makeup for yourself! Experience this unique theatrical element through an interactive makeup station. It is first-come, first-served.

Let the legend inspire your own transformation: Be Real. Be You.

About Lady White Snake

Shanghai Grand Theatre’s dance Lady White Snake is a groundbreaking reimagining of China’s timeless folk legend, the tale of the white snake. Moving beyond traditional narrative, this production transforms a thousand-year-old story into a profound exploration of the human psyche, where dance becomes a language of deep psychological revelation. Under the artistic direction of international ballet star Tan YuanYuan, Lady White Snake blends Eastern and Western dance languages, breathing new life into this timeless Chinese tale through a global lens, while showcasing the oriental aesthetic in the Jiangnan style.

In this version, Lady White Snake, Xu Xian, and Fa Hai are reinterpreted as the modern wife, husband and psychotherapist, respectively. Meanwhile, Xiao Qing (Green Snake) emerges as a liminal character, dancing between worlds and embodying the untamed id in a relentless pursuit of selfhood. The characters seamlessly blend the ancient and the modern, complementing and echoing each other, while creating a striking contrast between reality and illusion.

Enjoy an exclusive 30% discount on tickets to Dance: Lady White Snake with our special promo code SGTSAVE

Booking Link: https://www.davidhkochtheater.com/tickets-and-events/dance-lady-white-snake/

Don’t miss this enchanting performance—offer available for a limited time!

Speakers & Moderator

Tan YuanYuan

Artistic Director

International Ballet Artist, the longest-serving principal dancer in San Francisco Ballet, the first Asian to participate in the World Star Gala in Prague, Czech Republic

Credits include: Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, Cinderella, La Bayadère, Sylvia, Othello, Onegin, The Little Mermaid, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Magpie Bridge, etc.

Zhou Ke

Director

Associate Professor in the Directing Department at Shanghai Theatre Academy and Artistic Director of Ke Theatre Company.

Directing credits include A Doll’s House, Part 2, Prima Facie, After Immortality, Diary of Mystery, Hudec, Letter to a Child Never Born, The Censor, Oleanna, The Pillowman, Doubt: A Parable, Night, Mother, One Bone and Four Dogs, Scenes from a Marriage, Love Letters, The Crucible;

Musicals: The Picture of Dorian Gray, Panda, Reborn, Mama, Love Me Once Again;

Opera: 170 Days in Nanking; Dance drama: Lady White Snake; Film: Remain Silent.

Awards include the Five One Project Excellent Work Award and the Jury Prize at the 8th Daegu International Musical Festival (Mama, Love Me Once Again), Best Director at the 3rd Chinese Theatre Awards (The Pillowman), and Best Experimental Director at the 1st International Theatre Academy Awards (Hudec).

Susan Yuqing Feng

Moderator
Director of Programs, China Institute in America

Susan Yuqing Feng joined China Institute in America as Director of Programs in October of 2023. Before joining China Institute in America, Susan was the Editor in Chief of Bitpush News, a leading block chain media based in New York and a columnist for the Financial Times Chinese Edition.

Throughout her journalism career, Susan conducted interviews with a multitude of world economic and political leaders, including Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Alan Greenspan, Paul Volker, President Clinton, Zbigniew Brzeziński, Michael Bloomberg, Thomas Friedman, and many more. Susan has also directed the documentary series “World Movers” which was released in March 2018. It illustrated the emerging new world order 70 years after WWII, shedding light on what has changed the U.S. and the world and the forces affecting everyone. It focused on the relationships between technology and globalization, the impact on immigration, and the future of U.S.-China relations.

Susan graduated from Columbia University and got her MA in International Affairs.

This program is made possible through the support of the Chinese International Education Foundation, and generous supporters of China Institute in America.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

China Institute in America’s cultural programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.