Xiangzhou District, Zhuhai

A dance festival treated residents to a raucous few days of revels in Xiangzhou District, Zhuhai from Sept 9 to 12, with dancers young and old strutting their moves across public squares, malls and parks.

On the first day, more than 600 residents making up 17 teams took part in a mass square dancing (guangchang wu) performance held in the district’s Cultural Square.

Young dancers compete in a street dance contest on Sept 11 at the Mo Mall, Gong Bei in Xiangzhou District.

Two days later, the younger generation came out to compete in a Zhuhai-wide street dancing contest held at Mo Mall, Gong Bei in Xiangzhou. Some 150 teams and more than 300 dancers showed off their moves in categories such as free-style and break dancing. Some of the nation’s top DJs, emcees and judges were invited to the contest.

On Sept 12, some 16 dance performances were staged celebrating Zhuhai’s local culture such as the Sanzao Crane song which can be traced back 700 years to the Song dynasty (AD 420-479). The skilled dancers drew locals who showed their enthusiastic appreciation.

Dancers perform the story of fisher maidens against a backdrop of fishing boats at Zhuhai ports. [Photos by Cheng Lin / Zhuhai Daily]

Prizes were awarded to the best dancers, and some 25,000 people have already cast their votes online for their favorite performances. The competitions and events were organized by the Xiangzhou District government to promote local culture as well as encouraging inclusivity and diversity.