Since January, a number of posters along Beijing's major streets featuring the portrait of Michelangelo's David and a Chinese terracotta warrior have become familiar to people. On each poster David says "ni hao" while the terracotta warrior answers "ciao."

The Year of Italy in China is 2006. However, the dialogue between Italy and China started centuries ago. The purpose of holding the Year of Italy in China is to further introduce both the Mediterranean country's ancient philosophy and modern arts to Chinese people.

Kataklo Athletic Dance Theatre, which performed at the opening ceremony of the 2006 Turin Olympic Winter Games, is one of the leading ensembles presenting Italy's modern arts. As a major project in the Year of Italy in China, the unique dance company is touring China and will perform in Tianjin tonight, Beijing's Beizhan Theatre tomorrow and Shanghai on May 21.

In ancient Greek, Kataklo means "I dance by bending and contorting." The Kataklo Athletic Dance Theatre, which was founded in 1995 by the former Olympic rhythmic gymnast Giulia Staccioli and her husband, former volleyball champion player Andrea Zorzi, showcases a new form of artistic expression combining sport and dance.

It consists of the former gymnasts who have participated in the Olympic Games and have since devoted themselves to pursuing gymnastics along with related disciplines, such as modern dance, jazz dance, theatre and the martial arts.

"Our dancers challenge their body limits, reflecting their athletic strength, conquered during many years of great sporting professionalism," said Staccioli, the artistic director of the company.

"If sports has been for my dancers a unique starting point, school of discipline, sacrifice and devotion, theatre is the perfect destination for their joyful and refined art," said Staccioli who danced with the company Momix for several years after retiring from rhythmic gymnastics. She established the company to pursue her passion for dance.

"Passion, team spirit and all the fundamental sports values will be the main features of the work of a group who knows well the emotion and sacrifices an athlete has to face to achieve an important goal like the Olympic Games. That's why and how our dances are unique in the world dance scene," said the gymnastic-dancer and choreographer.

Kataklo made their debut in 1996 with the show "Indiscipline," which was performed in Paris during the 1998 FIFA World Cup

In 1998, the company produced its second repertoire "Kataklopolis," inspired by the use of architectural, urban culture and human elements of daily life, used as a vehicle to narrate the story of the city.

During the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Kataklo and the Italian RAI broadcasting company presented the Buongiorno Sydney ("Good morning Sydney"), a daily program in which the company uses choreography to describe, in an ironic and surrealistic tone, the influence of the Games on the life of the city.

As the tour's popularity has increased greatly since 2001, Staccioli and her dancers created "Fair Play," an adaptation of "Indiscipline" for foreign audiences. This is also the program they bring to China.

Kataklo's recent productions also include "Up-Vertical Energies" about people's challenge to nature and "Livingstone beyond all limits," which is about the Livingstone bird's struggle against its enemies.

(China Daily May 18, 2006)