Arts schools perform musicals in key competition

Eight art schools staged musical productions at Beijing Dance Academy on Saturday and Sunday, as part of the ongoing 13th "Taoli Cup" National Dancing Education Showcase of China.

Since 1985, the event, formerly known as the "Taoli Cup" National Dancing Competition, has been held every three years. In 2016, the focus was shifted to an educational showcase, and the event was renamed. This year, the event is organized by Beijing Dance Academy and for the first time, musicals have been included.

Students of the Beijing Film Academy performed excerpts of its original musical production, Jiang Jie, which tells the story of the female martyr, Jiang Zhuyun, who joined the Communist Party of China when she was 19 and was killed at the age of 29. In 2022, the academy premiered the musical, featuring veteran singer Wang Li, who is now teaching at the school, playing the leading role.

Other highlights include excerpts from West Side Story performed by students of the Beijing Dance Academy, and No Longer Human performed by students of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

From November to January, the showcase event is staging about 90 performances covering a diversity of art forms, such as traditional Chinese dance, street dance, ballet and contemporary dance.