Gala spotlights rising stars in Chinese contemporary dance

The 18-minute clip of Inside was selected from its original 70-minute work that Gong created in 2018. It's partly inspired by Gabrielle Zevin's novel, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, which tells how the messy life of middle-aged bookstore owner A.J. Fikry was reframed after the arrival of a mysterious package - an unexpected baby that had saved him from the deadlock of solitude.

"Because of the arrival of the abandoned baby, his life was changed gradually. So I think love and emotional bonds could completely change a person."

Gong says she is now pushing herself to explore a larger world of dance, trying to fuse it more with music and plays.

"Currently I feel it's the time to cooperate with theatrical artists and musicians to look for more possibilities in art production. Because dancing has its limitations."

"Contemporary dance is still niche in China. The audience is small. Many people say it's hard to understand so they don't go to see it. In this regard, Lin Hwai-min is a hero. He's brought contemporary dance to audiences in so many different places."