Dance fest joins air show, circus as key Zhuhai signatures

The finals of American Modern Dance and Argentine Tango as well as Professional Latin Dance and International Ballroom Dance for the 2017 China-Latina Dance International Championship will be staged at the Hengqin International Tennis Center at 7 pm on Nov 21.

The Nov 18-21 event has more than 6,000 couples from 45 countries and regions vying for total prize money of nearly 2 million yuan ($301,800) in 42 categories.

Of 173 teams, 140 are domestic and 33 teams are from abroad. The 100 pairs of foreign dancers this year include nearly 20 youthful ones. This is the first time for China to hold a dance competition with such scale and lineup, bringing the highest level of competition to spectators, announced a spokesperson.

In addition to the top-level International Professional and Amateur Modern Dance and Latin Dance groups, all contestants were divided into 231 groups, such as Asia Professional and Amateur; International and Amateur Youth; International Teacher-Student, and International Mid-aged.

Youthful form [Photo by Zeng Yao / Zhuhai Evening Post]

Michael Stylianos, honorary president of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, chairs the jury with world-renowned Taiwanese modern dance coach Alan Yeh responsible for execution. Ninety experienced judges from about 20 countries grade performances.

The competition was held in Zhuhai for the purpose of developing local cultural brands. Along with the Zhuhai Airshow and China International Circus Festival, it is expected that the China-Latina Dance International Championship will be the third-biggest cultural calling card of Zhuhai, said Rao Xinjian, deputy director of the Central South Liaison Office of the China International Cultural Communication Center (CICCC).

The competition is guided by the CICCC, Hengqin New Area Administrative Committee, Guangdong Federation of Literary & Art Circles, and Guangdong Province Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese. Co-organizers include the Guangdong International Culture Exchange Center, CICCC Central South Liaison Office, and Zhuhai Da Heng Qin Investment.