Dancers from Germany, France and Turkey will stage Night of the Sultans this month at Beijing Beizhan Theater in a smorgasbord of artistic variety, intertwining tap and belly dancing, folk and electronic music, and incorporating both modern lighting and multi-media.

The December 12 event marks the beginning of another dance season in Beijing. The Beijing Dance Festival began three years ago and is set at the end of the year. This year's festival extends to December 30, featuring performances from over 20 Chinese and foreign artists.

The eclectic program will include ballet, folk dance and modern dance.

Ballet fans will be treated to Swan Lake by the Novosibirsk State Academic Opera Ballet Theatre from Russia, while the National Ballet of China's Pink Floyd Ballet, choreographed by French choreographer Roland Petit, will reveal fresh moves combining ballet with rock music.

The Song of Strong Wind by Beijing Dance Academy's Youth Dance Company will demonstrate dance movements from the Han (206 BC-AD 220) and Tang (AD 618-907) dynasties, while Ordos Wedding by Ordos Song and Dance Ensemble of Inner Mongolia and Brilliant Sunshine over Xinjiang by Xinjiang Song and Dance Ensemble will display these regions' traditional ethnic folk dances.

(China Daily December 1, 2006)