Fusing tradition with modernity, Da Bei Chuan adopts several state-of-the-art approaches to present its message.

"The unique point of this repertoire is that it uses the structure of film montage to tell the story, with a combination of modern dance and traditional dance of the Qiang ethnic group," Luo said.

"The repertory is like film, it can touch the heart of the audience and when it was on stage in Chengdu, in Sichuan Province last year, lots of people were crying during the performance," Xie added.

Working as a director at Shanghai Film Group, Xie explained that he used film techniques to build the performer's on-stage characters.

"Feeling is quite important, atmosphere as well; the dancers were lacking a sense of character and scenario at first, I told them they had to express their spirit using body language," he said.

In order to find more inspiration for this performance, Luo and Xie made several trips to Beichuan, both returning with strong impressions.

"Human beings are too weak to face nature; however, the inner beauty of human beings, including love and diligence, can support us, which are the most touching points in this performance."

"We want to commemorate those who lost their lives and show our thanks for the help received from the whole country in the earthquake," Liao said, adding that the performances in Beijing are especially significant as they fall just before Qingming Festival, a time where Chinese people honor the dead.

Da Bei Chuan will play in several Chinese cities before heading overseas to Russia, Japan, South Korea and Australia.