Although it made its debut in China 70 years ago, modern dance still remains one of the smallest art circles in the country.

Only about 50 professional modern dancers carry on the art form that was introduced by Chinese modern dancer Wu Xiaobang (1906-95) in the 1930s.

Most are distributed among three full-time modern dance groups on the Chinese mainland: Guangdong Modern Dance Company, Beijing Modern Dance Company and Beijing LDTX Modern Dance Company.

"Modern dance is always at the forefront of a time, so it is destined to have limited audience," said Willy Tsao, artistic director of Beijing LDTX Modern Dance Company. "But when many people begin to appreciate modern dance, it moves forward."

Tsao is also the artistic director of the Hong Kong City Contemporary Dance Company and Guangdong Modern Dance Company, and used to take the same title at Beijing Modern Dance Company.

Founded last September, the LDTX is the youngest modern dance group in China. Its name "LDTX" is the abbreviation for Lei Dong Tian Xia, which means, "Thunder under the Sky." Though the group has already performed in the United States, its China premiere is to be held today at the Oriental Avant-garde Theatre in Beijing.

"If we compare arts to a pyramid, modern dance lies in the top part of it," said Tsao. "We can make this part bigger, but it will never become the foundation."

However, thanks to the effort of Tsao and other modern dance workers in China, public interest in modern dance has been increasing.

The third Guangdong Modern Dance Festival was held earlier last month, when professional modern dance groups performed and about 250 aficionados across the country participated in the festival's "Youth Dance Marathon" program and presented their own works.

"No matter what level their technique, they are all trying to express themselves with modern dance," said Tsao. "Some have participated in the program for three consecutive years and made remarkable progress."

The growth of non-professional modern dance groups in China is due partly to the training courses offered by the three modern dance companies in China. Though dance is a highly technical art that demands training from childhood, these courses provide opportunities for any adult to develop an interest in dance.

Zeng Ying, who works for an Internet company, used to take a course at the training centre of Guangdong Modern Dance Company. After one year's study, she choreographed and performed a work of her own at a performance organized by the Guangdong Modern Dance Company last November.

In the work titled "Little Red-Cap," which Zeng performed with two of her classmates at the training centre, she deconstructed the well-known fairy tale of "Little Red-Cap" and used it to express the confinement of education.

"My greatest harvest from modern dance is not that I have gotten a much better physical status, but that my life is more colorful and complete by this dance I love, and that my way of life has influenced the friends around me to spend more time on things they truly love rather than just be workaholics," wrote Zeng in an article about her experience of learning modern dance.

After Zeng moved to Beijing this year, she continued to take the course at Beijing LDTX Modern Dance Company, which started in April and has attracted 30 students.

Located at the Cultural Centre of Dongcheng District, LDTX offers both "fundamental modern courses for adults" and "advanced modern course for students" every weekend. Each class lasts 90 minutes and costs 25 yuan (US$3).

According to Cui Kai, the main teacher at LDTX's training centre, the first half of each class is devoted to basic technique training, while in the second half students are encouraged to create their own movements.

Cui said that in a way, amateurs are easier to teach than professionals, for amateurs are ready to accept new ideas.

"My body smoothes out every time I practice modern dance," said 28-year-old Zou Jun, a trainee in the adult class. "It feels even more comfortable than a massage."

Zou has always liked sports and arts, and when he saw modern dance on TV, he found that it combines the two.

"It is not like disco, which is a sheer physical vent," said Zou. "If you dance well, you can express your opinions about the society in it."

While beginners find self-expression through modern dance, professional dancers and choreographers are studying modern dance to expand their careers.

"Modern dance has more variety than other dance styles," said Zhang Yi, a student of the advanced course. "You never know what's going to happen next."

Zhang is a student of choreography at Henan University and is now studying at a program of modern dance at Beijing Dance Academy. His classmates at the program come from around the country, and most of them are also taking the course at LDTX because the teaching is practical.

"The development of modern dance in China has a long way to go, especially in less developed parts of China," said Zhang. "It's impossible for most of us to support ourselves by modern dance, but we will certainly learn and borrow from modern dance when we perform and choreograph other dances."

LDTX's new work "The Cold Dagger" will be staged today and tomorrow at the Oriental Avant-garde Theatre in Beijing.

"The Cold Dagger" is choreographed by the company's deputy artistic director Li Hanzhong and dancer Ma Bo. Performed on a tae kwon do mat, the dancers' motions are freed up since they can perform movements that are difficult or impossible on normal, hard stage.

The performance will also try to probe into the relationships between people. During the cello solo of US musician David Darling, dancers dressed in white and black compete against each other, like chess pieces in the traditional Chinese weiqi (go) game.

"The Cold Dagger" kicks off the Beijng LDTX Modern Dance Company's plan to hold regular performances every month.

Other works scheduled for performance include "Goodbye, Snail" in September and "Pilgrimage" in October. For July and August, when the Oriental Avant-garde Theatre has no vacancies, the company will show videos of modern dance works with Tsao's commentary.

(China Daily June 1, 2006)