The Department of Chinese Ethnic and Folk Dance is part of the Beijing Dance Academy, which offers state-recognised bachelor’s and master’s degrees with a view to developing outstanding dancers and scholars. There are currently more than 240 students and 60 post-graduates studying at the academy.
This masterful performance will embody the heritage and contemporary development of traditional Chinese folk music and dance, and also reflect on the various characteristics of its ethnic traditions. It will incorporate the 12 traditional folk music and dance genres originating from Xinjiang, the north-eastern region of China, Qinghai, Yunnan, Inner Mongolia and Guangdong Province respectively. Each of these regions has its own diverse ethnic groups, including Han, Tibetan, Mongol, Uyghur, Miao, Dai, Korean, Ji and Kazakh peoples.
The members of the group have visited many cities, always seeking assistance from local artists in each location. The students study typical folk dances, folk songs and live performances with percussion instruments, listen to the folk tales and legends behind the dances and get to know the cultures of the various regions. Some of the folk songs are performed and sung by actors. We hope that the audience will enjoy the finer points of ethnic folk music and dance on the rustic and beautifully decorated stage, and thus come to understand the rich sources at the roots of Chinese folk music and dance.

Presented by: National Dance Theatre