Putting on their peak performance

"I prepared for the competition for about two years, a long and tough period. My teachers helped me create the solo dance piece and trained me for hours every day. The training and rehearsals were exhausting," says Zhu, who now teaches at the dance drama department at the Central Academy of Drama. "However, looking back, the experience was about more than the competition itself. I gained confidence and challenged myself over and over again through training and rehearsals."

Besides award-winning dances from the 13th edition, winning entries from previous editions will also be part of the tour. Highlights include Drinking Alone Under the Moon, featuring Su Hailu and inspired by Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Li Bai's poem of the same title, and Tang Yin, a piece by Sun Can, which was inspired by tricolor Tang figurines of female dancers.

Besides live performances, the tour is inviting scholars and experts to discuss the development and achievements of dance education over the past 40 years.

In 2016, the focus of the competition shifted to take on an educational aspect, and the event was renamed the Taoli Cup National Dancing Education Performance of China.

"The Taoli Cup is a leading incubator allowing young dancers to grow. We have seen many original dances created for the competition. Those pieces deserve to be seen by more people," says Ba Tu, Party secretary of the Beijing Dance Academy.