Dance magic: The standard of ballroom dancing in China is very high, with some universities offering courses in the discipline. Photo provided to Shanghai Star

Dance competition

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A high level international dance competition will take place in the Mercedes-Benz Arena on Nov 1.

Cao Hong, dean of the ballroom dancing department at Shanghai Theater Academy, calls the event Shanghai's equivalent of the Blackpool Dance Festival in Britain, the most celebrated competition of ballroom and Latin dance in the world.

This is the second edition of the Parinama Shanghai Open. It's the first licensed dance tournament in China integrated into the official ranking system of the World Dance Council.

Professional and amateur dancers from all over the world will compete in ballroom and Latin dance from 8 am to 5 pm on Saturday. The finals and a gala night will take place in the evening from 7 pm.

The judging panel will be led by Robin Short, honorary director of the World Dance Council, and consists of judges and winners from the Blackpool Dance Festival.

The dancers will go to local communities and communicate with dance lovers there. "Every night the square in front of Yuanshen Stadium will be crowded with dancers," says Xie Yumin, vice-mayor of Pudong. "Such cultural events will be a boost to our local cultural life."

Tickets are sold at 400-610-3721, or via email: tickets@shanghaiopen.org.