Chinese and foreign dancers each have their own advantages, as observed by the organizers and participants of the Beijing International Ballet and Choreography Competition.

This is the Chinese work "On the Road" performed at the closing ceremony of the ballet competition. It tells a story of a migrant worker couple who first quarreled a lot, but later got along well.

This piece is called "Infra" performed by Melissa Hamilton from the UK. It also tells the story of two lovers. The anxiety and perplexity are fully displayed solely through the dancers' leaping, gyrating and stretching without the use of any stage props.

"I feel that in terms of basic techniques, we're better than the foreign competitors. But they danced with great ease and composure. For this aspect, we should learn from them."

An inborn qualification and hard practice are mostly what make the Chinese dancers stand out.

The solid basic skills and the fundamental movements required by classical ballet are what most Chinese dancers are good at. But in modern ballet, which requires the free expression of individuality and creativity, Chinese dancers are evidently inferior to their foreign counterparts.

"We've seen our weak points. Maybe we are so academic that our dancers are so similar without much distinction."

Chinese dancers have become frequent winners at international competitions in recent years. But experts say there's a long way to go from being a mere dancer to becoming a genuine master.

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