Amateur Dancers' Performance to Conclude CNY Celebration

Amateur dancing troupes in Shanghai are gathering at Shanghai International Dance Center Theater this weekend to conclude the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations with a special performance of their own.

The annual Lantern Festival-themed performance is a public welfare project initiated in 2018, offering ordinary dance lovers the opportunity to perform on a professional stage while also donating the event's proceeds to those in need. Over the past eight years, nearly 100 non-professional dance groups have participated.

This year's proceeds will be donated to the Wala Wala Deaf Dance Troupe. As a dance group composed entirely of deaf individuals, Wala Wala will also appear in this year's performance.

Founded in 2020, the troupe's modern dance piece "Gratitude" is China's first deaf dance work performed without sign language instruction. Centered on the imagery of "palms together," it conveys the dancers' sincere embrace of all things and their gratitude for life and goodwill.

The piece was performed in excerpts at the opening ceremony of the 2025 SIDCT Contemporary Youth Dance Biennale. Troupe members said "Dance has healed us, and we want to heal more people through dance."

Recruitment for this year's performance started from last October. Following online auditions and offline selections, 18 dance pieces with diverse styles and forms were chosen from over 100 groups, covering Chinese classical dance, folk dance, jazz, and modern dance.

Performance info:

Dates: March 7, 7:30pm; March 8, 2pm

Tickets: 50-120 yuan

Venue: Shanghai International Dance Center Theater 上海国际舞蹈中心剧场

Address: 1650 Hongqiao Rd 虹桥路1650号