A contemporary twist to dance

"Global audiences are eager to perceive Chinese culture and art and listen to the stories of China, through the explorations and works of these young Chinese dance artists. We realize that the time is ripe for China to bravely share its stories and make its voice heard by the world," Yu says.

Bruno Heynderickx is the ballet director of the Hessian State Ballet in Germany. He participated in two editions of the China Contemporary Dance Biennial, in 2019 and 2025.

"I was really impressed with the quality of work that was presented here," he says. "I expect to discover new voices in the choreographic development here in Shanghai, as well as the rest of China."

In his company in Germany, he commissioned Xie Xin, a Shanghai-based choreographer and founder of the Xie Xin Dance Theatre, to create new productions. "We worked together three times. I am probably one of the first people in Europe to invite Xie to come and work with us."

Xie brought something fresh to his company, he says. When the dancers of the Hessian State Ballet did Xie's movement vocabulary, "it was an incredible discovery for our audience because suddenly they saw people move in a very different way than we normally do. We have different traditions here, including movement style", Heynderickx says.

On the opening night of the biennial, Xie Xin Dance Theatre presented In Satie and The Rite of Spring.

"We made some revisions to these two pieces, especially The Rite of Spring, because we are working with new musicians on site in this version," Xie tells the media before the show.