Choreographer-dancer Ma Bo's latest production, Narrow Escape－The Long March, will open the Beijing Dance Festival on Wednesday.
"Usually, I tell my own stories in my works," says Ma, the resident choreographer of Beijing Dance/LDTX. "But this is the first time that I choreographed a work, which is based on such an important historical event.
"In this work, I focus on a person's physical journey and psychological path. It's about life and death."
Meanwhile, there are also treats for younger audiences.
Programs like "Springboard" and the "Youth Dance Marathon" will showcase avant-garde and dance works by artists from Finland, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the Chinese mainland.
Speaking of the offerings by the young talents, Willy Tsao, the artistic director and founder of the Beijing Dance Festival, says: "Personally, the section showcasing works by young choreographers is my favorite.
"All their works are very short and well-choreographed. Every year, these new talents surprise both the audiences and veteran choreographers."
Veteran choreographer Tsao, who founded Hong Kong's first contemporary dance troupe, the City Contemporary Dance Company, in 1979, and Beijing Dance/LDTX in 2005, says that besides Chinese young choreographers, the festival also attracts talent from around the world.
Russian choreographer Andrey Korolenko－who has been working with non-professional dancers since 2010－will showcase two works, Disagreement and Modus, at the festival.
Disagreement is a duet about differences between lovers, while Modus is a 20-minute solo performance about the strength of the human spirit.
