Zhongguancun Dance Festival slated for September

Eight Chinese dance dramas will be staged during the Zhongguancun Dance Festival, set for  Sept 5 to 26.

Renowned Chinese dancer-choreographers, including Wang Yabin, Liu Yan and Zhang Aoyue, will stage their works, covering a variety of dance genres, such as contemporary dance, traditional Chinese dance and Chinese folk dance.

Highlights will include a dance drama by dancer-choreographer Wang Yabin's Moon Opera, which premiered at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing in 2015, and is based on a novel of the same title by Chinese author Bi Feiyu. It tells the story of Peking Opera performer Xiao Yanqiu, who is committed to her role to the point of obsession, and the premiere of the dance drama, Cao Xueqin, choreographed by Liu Zhen, chairman of the Beijing Dancers Association, which follows the life story of Cao Xueqin, a Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)  writer. As the first large-scale dance drama festival staged after the coronavirus pandemic outbreak, the festival also will bring 10 international dance productions through online broadcasting, including Tango Fire by The Tango Fire Company of Buenos Aires and Night of the Sultans by the Marcel Avram Dance Troupe.