Dancing across the Silk Road

2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of Caracalla Dance Theatre. Over the past several decades, the dance troupe has created more than 14 ballets and musicals, including adaptations of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Taming of the Shrew and Much Ado about Nothing.

The Caracalla Dance Theatre has performed in the most renowned theatrical venues and cultural cities across the world, from Carnegie Hall in New York and Sadler's Wells in London to the Kennedy Center in Washington DC and Theatre des Champs Elysees in Paris.

The dance troupe has received global press recognition through its interpretations of original dance forms that reveal a rich and mysterious East blended with Western technique.

The UK-based magazine Dance Europe gives the troupe a thumbs-up: "We in the West love to think we are culturally far more sophisticated than the East, but for pure splendor ingrained with soul, Caracalla is an unprecedented joy."

Looking to the future, the managing director told China Daily the troupe's duty is not only to maintain the historic and ancestral name of Caracalla, but more importantly, to expand the Caracalla Dance Theatre into new artistic, innovative and creative frontiers.

Contact the writer at zhangxingjian@chinadaily.com.cn