It's been 40 years since students were finally able to choose Chinese ethnic folk dance as a major. The Beijing Dance Academy, one of the leading such institutions in China, has marked the milestone with a special exhibition and a series of performances at Beijing's 798 Art District.

When the music sounded, dancers in folk costumes turned the 600-square-meter Rouse Bud Art Center into a stage and wowed visitors with stunning Chinese ethnic folk dance performances. 

Jia Siyue was one of the dancers on stage. She said, "This time we are surrounded by an audience, face to face, which is quite different from our previous performance. It requires greater flexibility."

A visitor told CGTN that he enjoyed the performance a lot. "It feels really good. I never got a chance like this before. We are so close to the dancers; we can even sense their enthusiasm for ethnic folk dance," he said.

The dancers are from the Beijing Dance Academy, a school dedicated to preserving ethnic folk dance and nurturing talent since its inception in 1954.

In 1980, it established China's first ethnic folk dance major. Old photos displayed at the center depict campus life for the first batch of students and portraits of the teachers. The pictures and other art installations allow visitors to better understand the dance genre's historical development.

The academy's professor Huang Yihua said, "It's been 66 years since Chinese ethnic folk dance was rooted in the Beijing Dance Academy, so I would say the dance's growth in the academy reflects the historical development of ethnic folk dance of China. Now, the art form has entered a new development era, and its education will become much more professional." 

Looking ahead, Huang believes when it comes to preserving Chinese ethnic folk dance, inclusiveness and innovation are key. "I think it's important to blend modern-day elements into the future development of Chinese ethnic folk dance. Just like today, we use graphics, space art, installation art and new media art to present the historical development of the traditional art form," Huang told CGTN.

Known as "the Cradle of Dancers," the Beijing Dance Academy is a full-time institution that focuses on nurturing professional dancers, choreographers and dance researchers.

The exhibition will run until November 15.