Awakening Lion, a dance drama by the Guangzhou Song and Dance Theater, was staged in Beijing's Tianqiao Performing Arts Center on April 18 and 19.

The dance drama, set against the backdrop of the Opium War in 1840, tells the story of a lion dance troupe in Guangzhou, in Guangdong province.

In China, the lion dance has a history of more than 1,000 years and has different performing styles, based on regions.

The Guangdong lion dance is the southern branch of the Chinese lion dance series, which is a traditional folk art combing dance, music, and martial arts. Performed on special occasions, such as the new year or at the launch of a new business, the traditional art form is popular not only in the country but also among overseas Chinese.

[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] 

In 2006, the Guangdong lion dance, also known as "Xingshi", was in into the first batch of National Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

According to the scriptwriter of Awakening Lion, Luo Li, who is a native of Guangzhou, she revised the script for about two years and the rehearsal of the dance drama took about five months.

"We invited professional lion dance masters in Guangzhou to train the dancers. For both the dancers and audiences, the dance drama reminds them of the history and culture of the traditional art form," says Luo, adding that over 40 dancers from the Guangzhou Song and Dance Theater perform in the dance drama.

"Personally, I feel connected to the lion dance because it can be seen in my hometown whenever people celebrate holidays," Luo adds.

"While writing the dance drama, I learned about the history of lion dance and I realized that it's a Chinese traditional art form, which goes beyond the performers' breathtaking techniques."

[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] 

[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] 

Premiered at Guangzhou Grand Theater last September, Awakening Lion won the "dance drama award" at the 11th Lotus Award, the highest dance award in China in 2018.

The dance drama will be staged in Shanghai on May 26 and 27, competing for the the 16th Wenhua Award at the 12th China Art Festival.