The Suzhou Ballet Company (SBC) may be relatively new when compared to its counterparts in China, but it has certainly punched above its weight when it comes to breaking new frontiers in the sphere of artistic expression.

Led by husband and wife duo Pan Jiabin and Li Ying, both of whom are the artistic directors, the company has received critical acclaim since its inception in 2007 for its outstanding fusion of Chinese culture with Western classics such as Coppelia and Swan Lake. Last year, the SBC became the only Chinese ballet group to ever be invited to perform at the prestigious Opera Festival in Bydgoszcz, Poland.

The troupe is also one of the few in China to have its very own theater, which is located in the Suzhou Culture and Arts Center.