Schweigen Impossible from Germany. [Photo by Florian Krauss/China Daily]

Instead of conforming to the traditional power relationship in which the director is free to audition and select the dancers, Bel extends invitations to those within his personal networks.

For a performance that is established on the core concept of "anyone can do it", he feels this is better than holding rehearsals that result in most of the candidates being rejected.

As a result of eschewing flying to protect the environment as well as the pandemic, Bel and his team forewent the opportunity to travel to China for the production, instead holding lessons and rehearsals using video conferencing tools.

Gala is an ideal presentation of human unity, says Ge Huichao, founder and curator of the festival.

"In the performance you can see performers of diverse age groups, backgrounds and identities, a perfect rendering of inclusiveness."

The festival also featured Body Nomadic, a dance project produced by Ge that has an ethos similar to that of Gala－that dance should be an inclusive experience.