Television Reviews : Chinese Play Secondary Role in ‘Central Ballet’

Cultural imperialism reigns supreme in “On the Move: The Central Ballet of China,” a problematic one-hour documentary previously available in the educational and home video markets that turns up tonight on PBS’ “Great Performances” series (9 p.m. on Channels 28, 15 and 24; Saturday at 9 p.m. on Channel 50).

Ostensibly about the Peking company’s American debut in 1986 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the film contains only the briefest glimpses of Central Ballet performances and next-to-no footage of its exotic home-grown repertory.

Instead, the focus is on the wonders of the New York dance world: classes in Broadway show-dancing with Graciela Daniele, in Balanchine technique and style with Suki Schorer, in modern dance a la Paul Taylor with Taylor himself and Cathy McCann, in black dance of the Alvin Ailey school with Miguel Godreau.

The visiting Chinese are alternately delighted and challenged by all this unfamiliar dance, but their function in the film is distinctly secondary--a pretext allowing the New Yorkers to shine.

Incredibly, the most prominent members of the company--such stars in the making as the noble Zhao Minhua and the exquisite Tang Min--aren’t even identified, except in a few cases by nicknames. Moreover, their own dance traditions are given only a cursory summary--with, again, an emphasis on distinguished outsiders.

Technically, the film represents a collage of archival clips (mostly of Chinese ballet pioneer Dai Ailian), footage of the company school and the New York material. Director Merrill Brockway and writer Glenn Berenbeim integrate it all none too persuasively and many moments reveal a condescending attitude toward the extraordinary cultural predicament and achievements of Chinese ballet dancers.

For instance, the Central Ballet goal of making ballet intrinsically Chinese is stated but never really dealt with. Indeed, the prescription for success offered to the company seems to be mongrelization: Learn all this new stuff--the Broadway, Balanchine, Ailey, Taylor. Add it to what you previously learned from the Soviets and British and then call the result “Chinese ballet.”

Nonsense. Chinese dancers have better taste than to model their art on chop suey, a very modest Chinese dish invented in America. One can’t say the same for the people who made this scattershot film.