Dance festival celebrates ethnic unity

For the first time, the festival will have a street dance session, featuring performances and a competition, according to Xia Rui, deputy director and secretary-general of the China Hip-Hop Union Committee, which was founded by the China Dancers Association in 2013.

"We will have about 500 street dance performers from around the country join in the festival and half of the performers are from Xinjiang," says Xia.

There are more than 30 subcommittees across China, involving more than 300 cities and about 3 million people. According to the China Hip-Hop Union Committee, there are more than 8,000 registered street dance studios in China.

"The competition will cover all kinds of street dance, such as locking, popping and breaking," he says, adding that Xinjiang has a large fan base for street dance, as well as local street dance artists who are devoted to the art form.

"The dance festival is an international event, which will bring international artists to Xinjiang. They will see the beautiful place and the diversity of its culture. Though street dance is young in Xinjiang, compared to its folk songs and dances, it grows fast and vibrant," Xia says.