Oksana Skorik, center front, and Danila Korsunsov, center back, principal dancers of the Mariinsky Ballet, play the leading roles in Paquita. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In order to keep the authentic Russian style, conductor Matvey Korobov, art director of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, was also invited to the capital. He led the 50-strong Russian symphony orchestra, and gave perfect accompaniment to the gala.

The gala presented characteristics of the school of thought of Russian classical ballet, a continuation of perfect technique and artistic expressiveness. Classic parts from the romantic Paquita showed the dexterous skills of the artists and the uniformity of movement of the group dance.