Chinese dancers use kuaiban, a traditional Chinese musical instrument, to put on an elegant performance in Dance to the Southern Fujian Classic Music. [Photo/Xinhua]

Fuzhou, Fujian province, welcomed the world to its first International Dance Art Exchange Week with a gala performance on the night of Dec 2.

"Dream of the Maritime Silk Road: The First 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Dance Art Exchange Week" attracted about 500 people from 20 dance troupes from China and the region including Singapore, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Cambodia, Russia and Ukraine. The five-day event, held till Dec 6, will see dance enthusiasts engaged in performances, teaching and discussion activities held in Fuzhou and Quanzhou.

Luo Bin, secretary general of the Chinese Dancers Association, a co-sponsor of the event, said at the opening, "To answer the central government's call to promote our cultural confidence, we are holding this event to take advantage of the Belt and Road Initiative. This is a platform for dance enthusiasts involved in the Initiative to conduct friendly exchanges."

Dance teams at home and abroad performed various genres of dance based on the theme, Maritime Silk Road. There were folk, classical, modern, ballet and street dances. The show opened with Dance to the Southern Fujian Classic Music, an award-winning Chinese classical dance. Shiv-Yin, a contemporary dance jointly choreographed by Chinese and Indian dancers, was another of the show's highlights.

"This is the first time we are cooperating with Indian dancers, whose mysterious dance art is very inspiring. It not only helps to promote Chinese culture, but also demonstrates the influence of Chinese dance on the international stage," said Teng Aimin, Chinese co-director of Shiv-Yin. The Indian co-director Rukminee Chatterjee also expressed her admiration towards Chinese dance and hopes the cross-national dance will reveal common ground between the two cultures.

The opening came to a perfect end with Hot Love, jointly performed by the Chinese Dancers Association and Fujian Normal University School of Music.

Chinese and Indian dancers perform their countries' dance art in Shiv-Yin, a contemporary dance collaboration. [Photo/fjfao.gov]