Dance drama 'Confucius' wins thunderous applause in Serbia

Chinese actors perform drama "Confucius" at Belgrade's Sava Center in Serbia, Nov 15, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

Stefan Stanisavljevic and Olivera Popovic, students of Chinese language at the Belgrade University, also watched the show. They said it helped them understand the Chinese culture better.

"It's the first time that we have watched such a play. It's perfect. The play draws us into Confucius' time. We are impressed by the singing and dancing, as well as the whole story, especially his dream," Stanisavljevic said.

The performance also generated positive comments from veteran dance art observers.

For Aja Jung, the organizer of Sunday's performance, said this show was a unique experience and a way to bring the Chinese culture closer to the Serbian people.

"It is really something of exceptional quality. The show received great reviews everywhere it appeared. You cannot find a performance like this on an everyday basis," she said.

Serbian audience is very familiar with the story of Confucius as it is a part of basic high school education, but this play presented it in a new way -- through a combination of history, dancing, acrobatics, acting -- "a fusion of many, if not all performing arts," said Jung.

Jung, also the director of the Belgrade Dance Festival, the biggest in the region and one of Europe's most important, said that so far a few Chinese dance troupes including the Beijing Dance Company and Shen Wei Dance Arts have performed at the festival. Next year Tao Ye Dance Theater from Beijing will perform during the event.