From October 12 to 17, organized by the Center for Dance Teaching and Practice and the International Office of Beijing Dance Academy, a delegation composed of students from BDA and its Affiliated Secondary School visited the Ballet School of the National Foundation for Dance in Serbia’s capital Belgrade and presented a dance performance for the 3^rdChina-CEEC Capital Mayor’s Forum. The delegation was led by the Affiliated Secondary School’s Deputy Party Secretary Li Xin, director of Chinese dance teaching Bai Tao, Party Branch Secretary Gao Qian, dance teachers Yuan Li and Chen Meng, and Yang Yang from BDA’s International Office, and was composed of 20 Chinese dance students from the Affiliated Secondary School and 4 students from the Department of Chinese Classical Dance and Department of Chinese Ethnic and Folk Dance of the Academy.

　　

　　

The event represents an important cultural exchange mission that aims to foster a positive atmosphere for the opening ceremony of the “16+1”Capital Mayor’s Forum hosted by Beijing. Given its great significance, BDA elaborately prepared for the mission, and made strong efforts to guarantee safety and discipline during the delegation’s trip overseas through close collaboration among its different departments. Officials from the Foreign Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality inspected the repertoire at BDA as well.

　　

On the morning of October 14^th, the BDA delegation visited the Ballet School of the National Foundation for Dance in Serbia’s capital Belgrade for pedagogical exchanges. A workshop on Chinese classical dance was given by Gao Qian for Chinese and Serbian students to help them understand the physical attributes unique to Chinese dance regarding the mode of training, the pattern of movement, and the display of strength.

　　

It was followed by another workshop given by Yuan Li on Chinese Han folk dance—Yunnan flower lantern, for students to experience the unique charm and rhythm of Chinese Han folk dance.　　

　The workshops proved to be an instructive and enjoyable experience for students from both Serbia and China. The Serbian students learned attentively and the Chinese students participated with great patience and enthusiasm as they learned from each other and became friends through dance.

　　

　　

The BDA delegation presented gifts to the Serbian teachers and students and closed the successful visit with a group photo.

　　

　　

On the evening of June 15^th, an exciting performance was put on stage by the BDA delegation and the Ballet School of the National Foundation for Dance in Serbia at the Terazije Theatre of the Serbian capital Belgrade. The Chinese repertoire was created by Beijing Dance Academy in recent years, adopting a unique artistic perspective in inheriting the essence of traditional folk culture and adapting it to the modern world. Some of these dances reflect China’s local folk customs, some reproduce the images of traditional Chinese characters, and still others portray the rich emotions of characters and the collective spirit of the Chinese culture through the language of traditional dance culture. The dances reveal the charm of the Chinese culture at various levels and from different perspectives, through which BDA hoped to present to audience in Central and Eastern European countries the profound Chinese dance culture and the image of a prospering China, a country with an age-old civilization that now embraces an exciting future.

　　

Mayor of Belgrade Zoran Radojcic, Deputy Mayor of Beijing Wang Hong, ministers of transportation and capital mayors of CEECs watched the dance performance, which were greeted with thunderous applause from beginning to end, winning high acclaim of the audience. After the performance, Mr. Zoran Radojcic and Madame Wang Hong took a group photo with the dancers on stage. Mr. Zoran Radojcic congratulated all the dancers on the successful performance and wished them a promising professional career, and Madame Wang Hong thanked the performers for delighting the audience with such an excellent show and winning honor for Beijing. The local media also spoke highly of the event.

　　

During the week-long visit in Belgrade, BDA teachers and students impressed Serbia’s capital with artistic excellence, professionalism and dedication, as they brought Chinese national culture to life through dance during this important event for China-CEEC partnership.

(Affiliated Secondary School of BDA  Text/Li Xin, Gao Yanfeng)