In Shanghai, Switzerland's Geneva Grand Theatre presented a contemporary take on the classical romantic ballet "Giselle" at the weekend. The performance was part of the on-going Arts Festival in the city.

The troupe from Geneva has created a contemporary version of the classical ballet that was first performed in 1841. By turning the German village girl Giselle into an immigrant from Eastern Europe of the 1850s, it retells the tragic love story of poor Giselle and her rich lover.

The new version has abandoned the traditional colorful decoration and dancers' white skirts, and uses a black and white background and simple dresses so the audience focuses more on the dancers' eye contact and body language.

The troupe's manager says the balance between classical and contemporary elements is also a highlight of the show. More importantly, he says they want to use the classical story to reflect the material-oriented relationships of the modern world.

"The new 'Giselle' is to keep the romanticism and the story and what the story means about people, with difference of social situation. When you're in love, it doesn't matter if you are rich or poor. And maybe the message we want to give is just trust the love," said Philippe Cohen, manager of Geneva Grand Theater Ballet.

The Geneva Ballet and its new version of "Giselle" now head to Beijing for shows later this month at the National Center for the Performing Arts and Peking University.