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Butterfly Lovers

A Chinese legend through the lens of Indian classical dance!

Butterfly Lovers is the story of star-crossed lovers Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai which will take you on a journey of friendship, separation, heartache and reunion.

As one of the Four Great Folktales, this gem premiered in 1958 and was Artistic Director Santha Bhaskar’s first full-length production in Singapore. Having just arrived from India a few years earlier, she was already taken up by the multicultural atmosphere and the ease with which the various ethnic arts groups got along. Watching the Chinese film version of the tale sealed the deal and inspired her to stage the work. With the multi-ethnic students she had, she gave audiences then a Bharatanatyam lens to the Chinese folktale.

BAA now reimagines this work more than six decades later, this time choreographed by Santha Bhaskar’s daughter, Meenakshy Bhaskar who brings a different perspective to the work. Infusing classical Chinese dance movements, this remake also features music composition by world-renowned Rajkumar Bharathi flavoured with sounds of the Ruan by local artiste Neil Chua. BAA is also delighted to co-present it with the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre.

Butterfly Lovers
19 Dec 2021
Victoria Theatre