Dancing from emotional to eccentric with 'Inside', 'Hoi Polloi'

Two contemporary dance works riveted audiences Oct 17 at Beijing's National Center for the Performing Arts as part of its Young Artists Platform, with unconventional performances that ranged from quietly touching to whimsical and wild.

Inside by Gong Xingxing also has a title in Chinese - Meiyou Gudao, meaning "there is no lonely island". It's an apt description of the piece, which explores the challenges of forging relationships in the information era - and does so with optimism.

Early on, one performer lies all alone in silence on a stark black stage, curling her limbs in melancholy ballet-like movements. Such powerful solos, often with minimal or no musical accompaniment, punctuate the performance. Dancers also drift apart and coalesce into duets, trios and other pairings, highlighting the theme of connections. There's vulnerability and yearning in the ways they lean on, embrace and even cradle one another, and the effect is heartfelt.