The ballet of The Miraculous Mandarin is based on a composition of the same name by Hungarian composer Béla Bartók, who took his inspiration from Menyert Lendel's tale about a prostitute forced to work for thieves. The prostitute lures men to be robbed and killed, until she encounters a man so entranced by her that he will not die, despite a barrage of brutal attacks by the thieves. It may sound like intense stuff, but Flindt says that the story can be read many ways and may ultimately be neither hopeful nor tragic. "It's like life—and what is that? I see life as a very difficult affair. I think it's difficult for us to understand death, and this is a story of life and death."

In the original tale, the man who's literally death-defyingly transfixed by the prostitute is a wealthy Chinese man, the titular "miraculous mandarin." "When [the story] was written 100 years ago, to see a Chinese person walking around in the streets of Vienna would be something strange," Flindt says of the original character. "Now he is like someone from another planet, or a mysterious stranger." What hasn't changed over time are the broader implications of the character, Flindt says. "He represents, basically, the free spirit—you can't kill that."

Flindt created The Miraculous Mandarin for Danish television during his tenure as artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet. He and his then-wife, Vivi, originated the principal roles in the 1967 world premiere of The Miraculous Mandarin, which was performed live by the Royal Danish Ballet following its television debut.

The ballet embodies the bold, groundbreaking work for which Flindt has become known and admired. Flindt's first ballet, La Leçon, was based on a play by absurdist writer Eugene Ionesco, with whom he also collaborated on the ballet The Triumph of Death. Among Flindt's many daring and innovative works are The Overcoat, which he created for Rudolf Nureyev; Phaedra, with composer Philip Glass; Children's Songs, based on a score by Chick Corea, and The Red Shoes or Legs of Fire, which was peformed last season by Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley.

Flindt is heading up the ballet's production of The Miraculous Mandarin, which will be its West Coast premiere. He and the cast have been referring to films of the original television production in order to faithfully replicate the choreography. Vivi Flindt even flew in from Copenhagen for a few days to advise.

It's evident in the dedication of all involved, in every aspect, that a certain passion pervades The Miraculous Mandarin, not only in the ballet itself but in the work of bringing it to life. However, there's some kind of passion innate in this ballet that seems to extend beyond the stage. Flindt and his former wife, Vivi, got married during the original 1967 run of the ballet. Now Alexandra Koltun and Alex Lapshin, who are dancing the roles of the prostitute and the mandarin for Ballet San Jose's production, decided to forgo their summer wedding, getting married instead at San Jose City Hall during a lunch break from rehearsing the ballet.

And although it may be dark, Flindt says that in the end The Miraculous Mandarin is a love story. "They're not able to kill him until she, through love, reveals the inner soul of the man by taking his silver mask off him and showing his human face. Then he's able to die in her arms. It's very romantic."

Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley presents a Valentine's Day program featuring 'The Miraculous Mandarin,' in addition to Artistic Director Dennis Nahat's 'Summerscape' and Agnes de Mille's 'Rodeo,' Feb. 13­16 at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, 255 Almaden Blvd., San Jose. Tickets are $22-$68. For more information, call 408.288.2800 or visit www.balletsanjose.org.