The ongoing dance festival at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing includes Israel's Batsheva Dance Company'sDecaDance, Zhang Jigang's dance drama Thousand-Hand Bodhisattva,Jin Xing's Shanghai Tango (above) and New York-based Shen Wei's modern dance pieceFolding. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"Physical theater has been strong in Western countries for quite some time now." But Jiang believes that, while influenced by other art forms, each one will still retain its distinctive flavor and not blend into a new art form. "The quintessence of art is change. But no matter how it changes, it must be accepted by the audience." He cites War Horse as a success story for blending different art forms into its stage presentation while criticizing a recent dance academy production of White Deer Plains, adapted from a modern Chinese literary classic, in which performers had mouthfuls of lines. "If dialogue can achieve everything, why do you need dance?"

Although Jiang may not see eye to eye with the NCPA programmers on everything, he agrees that the festival gives its nod to popularity while maintaining its artistic standards. From this year's offerings, Israel's Batsheva Dance Company, whose DecaDance was presented on Oct 13 and 14, was praised by Jiang as "refreshing and truly unique". As an adviser, he strongly recommended its selection when the programmers were hesitating.

It has been two or three decades since modern dance was introduced to China, and it has reached a period of "fatigue", according to Jiang. "Why does such an innovative art form get stale so fast?" he asks rhetorically. "Even though many artists of modern dance work outside the establishment, they are nonetheless influenced by the establishment. Our creativity exists within the framework of the establishment," which can be overblown and pretentious, he says.