Rustic farmers, graceful Uyghur maidens, pious pilgrims, noble Tibetan Antelopes...
Joyous prayers and heartfelt blessings expressed through dance.
Spirit of harmony and unity realised in movement.

Following the popular success of ethnic dance productions Red Poppies and Bashu with Glamour, the Hong Kong Dance Company is proud to present another large-scale ethnic dance extravaganza – Dance Roots – which will premiere at the Kwai Tsing Theatre from 18 to 20 March 2011.

Dance Roots is a spectacular dance poem, a collage of seven kinds of Chinese ethnic dance, each with their distinct style. The folk and vernacular dances of China is rich in content and full of variety, and with ethnicity, geographic diversity and contemporaneity as starting points, the dance poem captures the essence and unique style of dance from the ethnic groups Han, Miao, Dai, Uyghur, Yi, Tibet and Mongolia. Set to original music inspired by folk traditions and other worldly landscapes, and accompanied by vivid ethnic costumes, Dance Roots creates a dazzling ode to movement with the colourful vocabulary of Chinese folk dance.

Distinguished folk dance artists and choreographers from mainland China come together to create this sumptuous feast of ethnic dance: Pan Zhitao, revered Chinese artist and Beijing Dance Academy professor, acts as the artistic adviser; Zhao Tiechun, renowned choreographer, director and Beijing Dance Academy professor, creates dance works with Jin Miaomiao, Director of Repertory Research at the Beijing Dance Academy Chinese Folk Dance Department. In addition, the production features four guest dancers and folk dance specialists from the Beijing Dance Academy – Wu Shuai, Luo Wenbo, Wang Ke, Zeng Xizhuo.

Together with leading creative talents from Hong Kong, Dance Roots reaffirms the close relationship between life and dance, and celebrates life's many facets and emotions with heartfelt movements.