IF you’re in Guangzhou this week, spend an afternoon or evening enjoying a contemporary dance performance at the 22nd Guangdong Dance Festival.

Scheduled for Sept. 19-23, the festival will present 72 works, bringing together international masters and emerging choreographers. Under the theme “Dancing in the Bay Area, Creating the Future,” the festival is organized into four main sections: Main Stage, Youth Showcase, Emerging Choreographers Program, and Masterclasses. In-theater performances, outdoor improvisations, after-show talks, and workshops will offer a wide view of contemporary dance and experimental practices.

Tickets for shows at Canton Tower Theater and Guangdong Arts Center can be purchased via the “猫眼” WeChat miniprogram. To buy tickets for performances at the Guangdong Modern Dance Company (GMDC) Theater, follow the festival’s official WeChat account (ID: gdfestival) and search the event name in its historical messages for details.

‘Folding Time’

The GMDC will open the festival with “Folding Time,” a revisit of eight iconic Chinese dance works spanning more than three decades, reflecting on the evolution of Chinese modern dance.

Time: 7:30 p.m., Sept. 19

Venue: Canton Tower Theater, Guangzhou (广州市广州塔剧场)

Metro: Line 3 to Canton Tower Station (广州塔站), Exit B

‘Club Loneliness’

Macao’s Stella & Artists reunites with Berlin‑based choreographer Nir de Volff for “Club Loneliness,” a work exploring vitality, beauty, and melancholy through tense, intricate movement.

Time: 3 p.m., Sept. 21

Venue: Canton Tower Theater, Guangzhou (广州市广州塔剧场)

Metro: Line 3 to Canton Tower Station (广州塔站), Exit B

‘As If Snowing’

Hong Kong’s City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC) will close the festival with “As If Snowing.” Combining live performance with AI‑generated imagery, the piece traces bodily memory and quiet reflections on life through shifting rhythms and intensities.

Time: 7:30 p.m., Sept. 23

Venue: Guangdong Arts Center, Guangzhou (广州市广东艺术剧院)

Metro: Line 6 or 11 to Shahe Station (沙河站), Exit C

Free outdoor performances

Free outdoor dance performances at Bai’etan Greater Bay Area Art Center and Yongqingfang will blur the boundaries between performance and place, creating encounters between art, urban life, and nature.

Time 1: 3 p.m., Sept. 20

Venue: Bai’etan Greater Bay Area Art Center, Guangzhou (广州市白鹅潭大湾区艺术中心)

Metro: Line 1 to Fangcun Station (芳村站), Exit B1

Time 2: 3 p.m., Sept. 22

Venue: Old Tree Plaza, Yongqingfang, Guangzhou (广州市永庆坊古树广场)

Metro: Line 1 to Huangsha Station (黄沙站), Exit B

Emerging creators

The Emerging Choreographers Program will premiere five works by six young creators at 7:30 p.m., Sept. 20 and 22. In addition, 29 dance pieces by more emerging artists will be staged at 7:30 p.m., Sept. 21 and 3 p.m., Sept. 23.

Venue: GMDC Theater, Guangzhou (广州市广东现代舞团小剧场)

Metro: Line 6 to Shaheding Station (沙河顶站), Exit A

Free film screenings

Ten dance‑themed Chinese short films will be screened.

Time: 2 p.m., Sept. 20

Venue: Garden at Guangdong Modern Dance Company, Guangzhou (广州市广东现代舞团小花园)

Metro: Line 6 to Shaheding Station (沙河顶站), Exit A

Masterclasses and workshop

Renowned artists, including Nir de Volff and CCDC artist Qiao Yang, will lead masterclasses during the festival. Hong Kong’s Unlock Dancing Plaza will run an improvisation workshop that blends dance, music, body, and voice to encourage cross‑disciplinary exploration. Scan the WeChat miniprogram code to purchase tickets for masterclasses and the workshop.

(Cao Zhen)