Yang visited difficult-to-access villages looking for authentic music performances, such as folk artists playing songs accompanied by sounds made from green leaves and bamboo shoots, or tapping on tiny clay jars.

Yang's latest creation Sounds from Yunnan is an intoxicating mix of raw energy and infinite rhythm.

"Yunnan has such a rich culture that I don't see any end to my inspiration," said the self-taught dancer and choreographer.

Yang's most striking discovery during her travelling in Yunnan was a kind of Tibetan drum that stands three meters tall. "It's a unique percussion instrument in Yunnan," she said. "When a woman gives birth, villagers come together and play the drum to help her through labor."