Amateur dancers embrace performing at Beijing festival

Students from Beijing Dance Academy perform in two Chinese dances, Chen Xiang and Fei Tian. [Photo provided to China Daily]

One year after Tong Jiajia was admitted to study at Peking University in 1998, the international relations major applied to participate in the Beijing College Student Dance Festival.

For Tong, who is an amateur dancer and learned traditional Chinese folk dance as a child, it was a great stage to fulfill her dream of being a dancer.

During her studies at Peking University, Tong participated in the annual dance festival every year, performing a variety of dances, including contemporary dance works, traditional Chinese folk dances and folk dances of other cultures.

"You don't have to be a dance professional to enjoy and perform dance works onstage. I truly enjoyed myself when I was dancing," says Tong.

She adds that it's also a way to explore what it's like to be a dance professional and explore different styles of dance.

The dance festival runs through June 2.

The event has over 100 Beijing-based universities and colleges, including Peking University, Tsinghua University, Beijing Normal University and Renmin University of China, presenting 26 dance performances to the public, ranging from ballet and folk dance to contemporary performances.