After six years, Beijing has once again a festival to showcase Chinese and international modern dance. As part of "Important Cultural Activities for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games", the first Beijing International Dance Festival will be held at the Tianqiao Theater of Beijing from May 9 to 25.

An earlier Beijing Modern Dance Festival started in 1999 but stopped after 2002. Hong Kong choreographer Willy Tsao, who founded the past festival, will continue to promote modern dance in the upcoming Beijing International Dance Festival.

"When we held the Beijing Modern Dance Festival, people often asked questions like 'what is modern dance' or 'why should Chinese watch modern dance', while now modern dance has become a normal part of Beijing's cultural scene," says Tsao, who is founder and artistic director of Hong Kong's City Contemporary Dance Company and Beijing LDTX Modern Dance Company.

"I believe this represents progress in China, as we have not only traditional culture but also modern arts, just like that we have not only the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven but also a new and modern airport."

Co-presented by the Beijing LDTX Modern Dance Company and the National Ballet of China, the first Beijing International Dance Festival will feature a broad range of both China-based and international dance companies, including Hong Kong City Contemporary Dance Company, Guangdong Modern Dance Company, Battery Dance Company from the U.S. and Tanztheater Staatstheater Braunschweig from Germany.

China's top ballet group, the National Ballet of China has also engaged itself in the promotion and development of modern dance in China. At the invitation of the group, two of the world's most famous modern and contemporary dance choreographers presented their works in China last year: Pina Bausch and Akram Khan.

"Actually ballet is inseparable from modern dance today," says Zhao Ruheng, director of the National Ballet of China.

At the Beijing International Dance Festival, the National Ballet of China will present a program titled Sino-French Triple Bill, which includes three works by French choreographers: Entrelac by Kader Belarbi, Last Paradise by Roland Petit, and the third act of classical ballet Sylvia by Leo Delides.

Beijing LDTX Modern Dance Company will premiere a new work at the festival: Rehearsal and Performance, At Odds, choreographed by Li Hanzhong and Ma Bo.

"It will be quite simple, something like an account of a common day but may also symbolize an entire life of a dancer," Ma says.

The Beijing International Dance Festival offers all tickets of modern dance performances from May 9 to 16 for the price of 100 yuan (50 yuan for students).

"Currently the price of performances in Beijing are much too high - most people can not afford to purchase tickets. We decided to set a fair price to encourage people who are interested and excited to come and participate in this exciting event," Tsao says.

(China Daily May 1, 2008)