Dance academy stages 10-year reunion

Qu will perform a work, choreographed by Liao Sidi from Beijing LDTX Modern Dance Company.

According to Tsao, who is also the founder and artistic director of City Contemporary Dance Company in Hong Kong, bringing audiences close to modern dance is important for the development of the art form.

"Hong Kong has more than 40 modern dance companies. Modern dance shows are available every weekend. But on the Chinese mainland, modern dance companies have to tour abroad to make ends meet, and audiences have nowhere to watch high-level modern dance shows," Tsao says.

Jin Xing, choreographer, dancer, actress and TV host, who founded the Jin Xing Dance Theater in Shanghai in 1999, credits Yang with introducing modern dance to her.

"Some people asked me why I am still dancing. I said I feel most confident when I am dancing," she says.

"Modern dance needs to communicate with audiences rather than narrowing in a small circle."

The 47-year-old is one of the judges of a popular dance show on Zhejiang Satellite TV Station, the Chinese version of American reality TV show, So You Think You Can Dance. Jin says that such TV shows help popularize modern dance among mainstream audiences.

"The current development for modern dance in China is slow. We have to work together and figure out a way for it to grow," she says.