Dancing for Dunhuang

Along with other teachers, such as Qiao Lei, they have also innovated by combining Dunhuang dance with other genres like modern dance.

Their original productions have won awards at dance contests, and the teachers and students often participate in exchanges and perform at universities and art institutions worldwide.

The department has been working to introduce Dunhuang dance to local primary and secondary schools.

It has customized exercise routines for students, hosted popularization courses at student societies, and created original dance works for the schools.

Born and raised in Jiayuguan, Gansu, Qiao worked at the Gansu Song and Dance Ensemble and performed in the 2008 edition of Flower Rains Along the Silk Road at age 13.

"The main challenge of Dunhuang dance is that students must master the movements and understand the cultural connotations within," Qiao says.

"We, as teachers, are essentially passing down previous generations' work. I hope students will pass down the tradition and promote it to a wider audience so that more people will learn about and study it."

Reflecting on his own learning processes and those of students today, he feels a sense of inheritance across generations.

"When I started learning Dunhuang dance, I studied the movements summarized by Gao Jinrong. They have a relatively gender-neutral style. All the movements are incredibly true to the murals as if they are carved out and brought to life," Qiao says.

In their teaching methods, apart from Gao's system, they also adopt that of Dunhuang dance expert Shi Min, who researched and developed moves for male dancers.