Award-winning dance works showcased in Beijing performance

A performance showcase by Beijing Dance Academy was staged at Tianqiao Performing Arts Center in the capital on Jan 5, featuring students and teachers of the school who have stood out from the Lotus Award — the top national awards for dancing in China.

The show covered a diversity of dance styles, such as classical Chinese dance, Chinese folk dance and contemporary dance.

The Lotus Award, first launched in 1997, has been propelling young Chinese dancers into stardom and allowing young dancers to get stage experiences.

Galloping Horse, a work of classical Chinese dance, opened the show. As the winner of the 13th Lotus Award in 2021, the dance work was inspired by the famous Chinese artist Xu Beihong's ink paintings.

Other highlights included a solo dance piece, Keeping, which focused on displaying one of the techniques of classical Chinese dance, yun shou — referring to the hand gestures of classical Chinese dance, and group dance piece, Son of Snow, which tells the story of people living the snowy mountainous areas of Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region.