A gathering of talented young choreographers, dancers, and foremost contemporary dance theaters and companies, China Contemporary Dance Biennial's debut edition kicked off in Shanghai on Tuesday. 

The five-day event, sponsored by the Chinese Dancers' Association and the Shanghai International Dance Center Development Foundation, showcases six contemporary dance performances, full of artistic emotions and power, by up-and-coming Chinese choreographers and dancers.

The festival opened with a combination of Zhaxi Wangjia's poignant works: "From 3200 to 0" and "32 Chapters." The biennial also staged Xie Xin's acclaimed emotional piece "From In" and Jiang Fan's "Web Traffic" – a brilliant blend of dance, theater and visual arts.

In addition to a slate of stunning performances, it also includes four forums and 10 workshops, as well as a series of promotional sessions and exhibitions, where more than 30 contemporary dance theaters from home and abroad will present their works.

In attendance are creative dancers and choreographers from across the world, as well as producers and artistic directors of prestigious dance houses such as London's Sadler's Wells Theatre, Theatre National de Chaillot in Paris, and Israel's Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance and Theatre.

"80 years ago, my mentor Wu Xiaobang returned to China from Japan, where he learned contemporary dance, and staged the first solo dance show in China's history. At that time, there was only one viewer, an elder woman from Poland," recalled Feng Shuangbai, chairman of the China Dancers' Association.

While addressing the opening ceremony, Feng noted that the last eight decades have witnessed a dramatic improvement in Chinese contemporary dance. 

He hoped that the biennial could "promote more excellent modern dance works with Chinese characteristics globally and exhibit the creativity and liveliness of contemporary dance in China."

The biennial runs through August 31 at the Shanghai International Dance Center.

The dance extravaganza also marks the beginning of the sixth edition of the National Young Dancers Development Plan, aiming at empowering talented young dancers.

"The biennial is dedicated to discovering and supporting new creative forces of Chinese contemporary dance, and to build an international platform for young dancers and rising dance theaters, where they can present their artistic creations and exchange ideas," said Chen Jianian, director of the Dance College of Shanghai Theatre Academy.

The biennial provides a global stage to these artists, and a bridge linking them to a wider audience and international producers. The dance pieces featured at the event were selected from the Plan over the past five years.

The Plan is a project committed to cultivating young talents, integrating resources and platforms to endorse promising dancers and choreographers.

Since its launch in 2014, the project has supported 45 emerging dancers, and nearly 200 young artists to produce a total of 48 excellent original pieces, earning great popularity and worldwide praise, including Li Chao's "Don't I Know You" and Xie's "From In."

Xie recently concluded her month-long Europe tour, where she performed "From In" – an emotional and powerful piece inspired by Chinese character for human "Ren," which is formed by connecting two strokes at the top.

Jorma Uotinen, former artistic director of Finland's Kuopio Dance Festival spoke highly of Xie's creation: "In Xie Xin's style, I see features that you might not find in European contemporary dance."

Looking at the rapid development of Chinese contemporary dance in the past few years, Xie believes that a turning point for the art form has come, where more dancers and choreographers have the opportunities to share their cutting-edge ideas and creations with the audiences and artists around the world.

"When I delivered acceptance speeches after receiving medals at international choreography competitions, when I received standing ovations from the audiences during my theater's Europe tour, when international dancers said they wanted to join our theater, and when I shared my feelings with international producers and artistic directors of the dance festivals, I knew that the time for Asia has come," said the dancer.

"The time for China is coming," she added.

(Cover image by Yin Yating)