From September 19 to 23, the 22nd Guangdong Dance Festival takes center stage in Guangzhou, transforming the city into a hub of creativity and cultural exchange. The festival opened Friday evening at Canton Tower Theater with the premiere of Folding Time, a highly anticipated production also featured in the 5th Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Culture and Arts Festival.
Reviving classics, inspiring new voices
The opening piece Folding Time is both a retrospective and a reinvention. Performed by Guangdong Modern Dance Company, it reimagines eight landmark works from the past three decades of Chinese contemporary dance: Bird Song(1992), Light(1996), I Want to Fly(1998), Fighting Under The Table(2001), Upon Calligraphy-Official Script&Small Seal Script(2005), Sticks(2007), Touched(2012), LoveLetter- Rite of Colours(2013). Together, these pieces bridge generations of creativity, offering audiences a living history of Chinese modern dance.
Renowned choreographer Xing Liang described the work as a "dialogue across time," noting that although the movements remain the same, each new generation of dancers brings its own perspective, aesthetics, and energy. Co-founder of modern dance in China, Willy Tsao, added that the essence of modern dance lies in individuality and innovation — values deeply rooted in Chinese culture and its philosophical traditions.
A Greater Bay Area collaboration
This year's dance week underscores the cultural vitality of the GBA, uniting artists from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. The program includes Macao's Stella & Artists collaborating with Berlin-based choreographer Nir de Volff on Club Loneliness and Hong Kong's City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC) closing the festival with As If Snowing, a multimedia performance that fuses dance with AI-generated visuals.
"The more diverse the region is, the richer its artistic possibilities become," Xing Liang observed, highlighting the GBA's unique advantage in fostering cross-border creativity.
Spotlight on young talent
The Up to Date Creative Project continues to nurture the next generation of artists, drawing applications from Los Angeles, Paris, Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and beyond. Five selected works by six young creators will be staged in Guangzhou, accompanied by post-performance discussions that give audiences insight into their creative processes.
The Youth Dance Showcase attracted over 350 submissions this year, with 65 works from more than 20 cities making the final cut. Presented in theaters, historic neighborhoods, and even outdoor spaces, these performances blur the line between stage and city, bringing dance into everyday life.
For over two decades, the Guangdong Dance Festival has been one of China's most influential platforms for contemporary dance, cultivating talent and shaping the country's modern dance landscape. As the GBA continues to strengthen its role as a cultural crossroads, the festival demonstrates how modern dance, a universal language beyond borders, can embody the region's spirit of openness, creativity, and shared growth.
Reporter: Li Fangwang
Photo: Li Fangwang, Guangdong Modern Dance Company
Editor: Hu Nan, James Campion, Shen He
