SHENZHEN’S cultural calendar is set for an exhilarating highlight as the 2025 Bay Area International Dance Season swings into full gear, presenting a multi-faceted celebration of movement that promises to captivate dance enthusiasts until January 2026. Kicking off earlier this month at the Shenzhen Binhai Art Center, the event has laid out an ambitious program that seamlessly blends high-stakes international competition, cutting-edge academic discourse, and breathtaking public performances, solidifying the city’s status as a burgeoning hub for the arts.

The dance season’s immediate spotlight falls on Qianhai this weekend with a momentous event for the local dance community. In a major coup for Shenzhen, world-renowned Russian ballerina and former artistic director of the Bolshoi Theater Ballet, Galina Olegovna Stepanenko, is making her inaugural visit to the city. She will serve as a distinguished judge for the FDC International Dance Competition (Shenzhen Division) this Sunday (Nov. 23). Prior to the competition, Stepanenko will conduct her first-ever masterclass in China on Saturday (Nov. 22), offering a rare and invaluable opportunity for aspiring dancers to receive direct instruction from a legend of classical ballet.

The FDC competition, which aims to attract outstanding young dancers from Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Macao, and overseas, is a key component of the dance season. Events will be held at various venues across the city, including the Shenzhen Binhai Art Center, the Shenzhen Grand Theater, and several universities in Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Li Chenchen, vice principal of the Shenzhen Arts School, will join Stepanenko on the judging panel.

Further enriching the lineup, the “Dance Ode to Jiuzhou” art performance will be staged at the Bao’an Children’s Palace on Nov. 29. An expert jury — including Liang Guocheng, honorary fellow of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts; Men Dacheng, head of the dance division of the Shenzhen Opera and Dance Theater; and Zhang Hailong, vice chairman of the Guangdong Dancers Association — will be on hand to provide professional guidance to young dancers.

A notable highlight of this year’s dance season is the collaboration between universities in Shenzhen and Hong Kong. On Monday (Nov. 24), the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) will host an AI Choreography Symposium, bringing together experts and scholars to explore the impact of AI on dance creation. On Dec. 5, the City University of Hong Kong will present the “Dance and Image: Cross-Media Arts Forum,” focusing on dance film creation and international dissemination.

As the festival continues into 2026, the focus will shift to homegrown talent with a series of performances. On Jan. 17, 2026, Shenzhen-based dancer Hu Shenyuan will stage his first full-length choreographic work, “Wandering,” at the Shenzhen Grand Theater. The piece, which blends Mongolian dance rhythms with contemporary movement, has earned wide public acclaim since its 2017 premiere. On Jan. 29, 2026, the Shenzhen Binhai Art Center will host the world premiere of “Journey of Life,” a new work by Chang Hongji, principal dancer of the Shenzhen Opera and Dance Theater. This dance-theater piece employs powerful physical language and visual imagery to guide audiences on an introspective journey in search of the essence of self.

(Claudia Wei)