Beijing Dance Festival: A sizzling treat in July

For 10 years in a row, the Beijing Dance Festival has been one of the biggest summer celebrations of contemporary dance in the Chinese capital. Every July, it brings more than 300 dance artists, over 200 dance students and more than 5,000 audience members to Beijing. They come from cities throughout China, the rest of Asia, as well as America, Europe and Africa. 

The much-anticipated 2018 edition of the dance festival will raise its curtain on July 19, running through July 31. The two-week event will begin with a dance education week from July 20 to 26, followed by a performance week from July 26 to 31.

The education week features an international faculty, with dance masters from countries including China, Germany, Australia, France, Spain, Japan, Russia, the United States and Barbados. In a six-day camp, all enrolled students, professional and amateur alike, will undergo intensive, dynamic training on contemporary dance styles: from techniques and movements to choreography and artistic expressions.

The performance week consists of three sections: "Focus" presents evening productions from rising stars in the dance scene, including those from Germany, Israel and Taiwan; "Springboard" showcases edgy and daring works from the world's creative minds; and "Youth Dance Marathon" offers an open platform to all young choreographers to display their original work. It's open to public application online, and registration will close on May 15.

The core value of contemporary dance lies in individual personalities; choreography is influenced, however, by cultures in different areas of the world. This year's "Springboard" section will feature solos, duets, and troupes from different places to show different understandings of the world through dance. Topics will cover both issues of interest to society and relations among people.

Hong Kong's City Contemporary Dance Company, for example, will tell stories of Hong Kong's goo wak jai - rebelling triad youngster - culture, and troupes from the western Chinese cities of Yinchuan and Nanning will present choreography with local flairs.

"Talking about modern arts [in the Chinese mainland], people often think of first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, but in western parts of the country, modern arts are also developing well, although people often consider these places less-developed," said Willy Tsao, an organizer of the festival and artistic director with dance company BeijingDance/LDTX, at a media talk in Beijing on Wednesday. He is also a council member for the Chinese Dancers Association.

A veteran choreographer and educator in contemporary dance, the Hong Kong-born artist has been dedicated to promoting modern dance in China since the 1980s.