"It has long been a wish of mine to combine ethnic Miao dance with ballet."

The company planned to create Like Flowers since the end of last year. But COVID-19 disrupted the plan.

The two choreographers started to work on the new piece in early February, after the dancers had resumed their daily training from their homes across the country.

"Usually, we'd prepare for a new piece together in a rehearsal room," says Fei, a veteran dancer-choreographer with the company, who's known for choreographing such pieces as Dunhuang and The Peony Pavilion.

"It was a big challenge for all of us because we had to create a new piece starting from zero without seeing one another. I was in Beijing, and Zhang Zhenxin lived in Ningbo (Zhejiang province), some 1,300 kilometers away. We made lots of phone calls to discuss the piece."

The company's ballet dancers, including Ma Xiaodong, Qiu Yunting and Wang Ye, will play major roles. And the company's symphony orchestra will play under the baton of chief conductor Zhang Yi.

With the help of folk-dance experts, such as the China Ethnic Song and Dance Ensemble's former director Ding Wei, and composer Wang Danhong, who also works with the ensemble, National Ballet of China dancers learned the movements of Miao folk dances from their homes through online courses and videos.