On the afternoon of December 2, 2021, the fifth annual meeting of "China-CEEC Dance Culture Union" was successfully held online. The event was attended by many leaders and guests, including Liu Jin, Chinese Ambassador to Montenegro; Huang Kan, Director General of Beijing Municipal Education Commission; Han Lixin, Director of Eurasian Division of International Exchange and Cooperation Bureau of Ministry of Culture and Tourism; Guan Xin, Cultural Counselor of Chinese Embassy in Bulgaria; Szonja Andrea Buslig, Cultural and Educational Counselor of Hungarian Embassy in China; Ba Tu, Secretary of CPC Committee at Beijing Dance Academy, and Guo Lei, Deputy Secretary CPC Committee at Beijing Dance Academy and BDA President. The meeting was moderated by Qin Yanxi, director of the International Office of Beijing Dance Academy.

　　This year marks the fifth anniversary of the establishment of China-CEEC Dance Culture Union. Sponsored by Beijing Dance Academy, the annual meeting was attended by over 50 participants online, including representatives from the National Dance Theatre in Budapest, Hungary; Zagreb Dance Center, Croatia; Sibiu International Theatre Festival of Romania; Ballet School “Princess Ksenija”; Latvian Cultural Institute; Bratislava Dance Association of Slovakia; Beijing Normal University; Minzu University of China; Capital Normal University; Shanghai Theatre Academy; Zhejiang Conservatory of Music; Nanjing University of the Arts; Tianjin Conservatory of Music; Northeast Normal University; Northwest Minzu University and Yunnan Arts University.

　　Liu Jin, Chinese ambassador to Montenegro, said that since the establishment of the cooperation mechanism between China and Central and Eastern European countries 9 years ago, the traditional friendship between the two sides has been further consolidated and the connotation of people-to-people exchanges has been continuously enriched. With the vigorous promotion of the Union and the active participation of its members, the exchanges and cooperation in the field of dance have yielded fruitful results, which has become a shining name card for artistic and cultural exchanges between China and Central and Eastern European countries. As the world has officially entered the countdown to the Winter Olympics, he hoped that the artists of the Union would take this opportunity to create more classic works of art, carry forward the Olympic spirit, and inject more confidence and hope for mankind to work together against the common challenges.

　　Huang Kan, Director General of Beijing Municipal Education Commission, said that in recent years, Beijing has devoted itself to building a new pattern of education open to the outside world. The city attaches great importance to exchanges and cooperation with Central and Eastern European countries in the field of education, and hopes that the China-CEEC Dance Culture Union can explore long-term and effective cooperation mechanisms in the field of education and culture, so as to bring continuous vitality to the exchanges between China and Central and Eastern European countries, and jointly facilitate open cooperation by working together to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

　　Han Lixin, director of the Eurasian Division of the International Exchange and Cooperation Bureau of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, hoped that the China-CEEC Dance Culture Union could explore new models of exchanges and cooperation under the new situation. In this way, the Union may enable its members to share their experiences, creativity and wisdom and meet challenges of the times. It is important to promote pragmatic cooperation, mutual assistance and win-win efforts with dance art as an important cultural link for greater people-to-people ties towards building a community with a shared future for mankind. The China-CEEC Dance Culture Union will continue to play an important role as a platform for cultural exchange under the China-CEEC cooperation framework.

　　Ba Tu, Secretary of CPC Committee at Beijing Dance Academy, pointed out in his speech that the fifth annual meeting is an important event and a new beginning in the development of China-CEEC Dance Culture Union. As the representative of higher dance education in China, Beijing Dance Academy will continue to share its nearly 70-year experience in dance education and work with other universities, institutions, experts and scholars at home and abroad for the future of global dance art. He looked forward to developing dance art and dance education on the basis of mutual understanding and mutual benefit, so as to promote the development of a global art community in a bid to enhance communication among civilizations.

　　Guo Lei, Deputy Secretary of CPC Committee at Beijing Dance Academy and BDA President, gave a keynote speech as the chairman of the Union. President Guo Lei summed up the fruitful achievements of the Union in the five years since its establishment, and put forward the following four initiatives for the sustained success of the Union under the new situation: First, keep to its original aspirations and keep pace with the times; Second,  tolerate and learn from each other and work together for common development; Third,  improve the mechanism and strengthen overall planning; Fourth, actively participate in the events of the Union and enhance friendship. On the basis of this annual meeting and with the joint efforts of all members, the Union will continue to be an important platform for cultural and artistic exchanges between China and Central and Eastern European countries, and make even more constructive contributions to China-CEEC cultural and artistic exchanges and people-to-people ties.

　　Szonja Andrea Buslig, Cultural and Educational Counselor of Hungarian Embassy in China, said that it is a great honor for her to participate in the work of the Union in five consecutive years. Art is a medium to help people understand each other across cultural barriers.

　　In the keynote speech session, speeches were given under the topic of this annual meeting “Dance Cooperation and Development under the Pandemic”. The speakers include Xiao Xiangrong, Dean of School of Art and Media, Beijing Normal University; Constantin Chiriac, Director of Sibiu International Theatre Festival of Romania; Risima Risimkin, artistic director of Skopje Dance Festival of North Macedonia; and Xu Wei, Dean of Dance Department of Zhejiang Conservatory of Music. Representatives of other participating members proposed cooperation projects within the Union, and shared their achievements and experience in previous cooperation projects.

　　At this annual meeting, five dance universities and institutions, including Delta Dance Center of Bulgaria, Kalamata International Dance Festival of Greece, University of Sibiu of Romania, The National Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow of Poland, and Music and Dance Research Institute of Poland, joined the Union as new members. Greek was represented in the Union for the first time. BDA Party Secretary Ba Tu issued certificates to the new members.

　　Belgrade Dance Festival of Serbia assumed the rotating presidency of Central and Eastern Europe within the Union. Guo Lei, Deputy Secretary of CPC Committee at Beijing Dance Academy and BDA President, issued an appointment certificate to the chairwoman of Belgrade Dance Festival, and announced the formation of the Executive Committee of the Union and published its official website.

　　Qin Yanxi, Director of the International Office moderated the meeting