The International Dance Festival 2017 kicked off in the northern province of Ninh Binh on September 16, drawing the participation of about 300 domestic and foreign artists.

A performance at the opening ceremony

The festival gathered about 15 dance troupes from 14 countries, including Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Colombia, Singapore, Egypt, Japan, Indonesia, China, Bangladesh, Russia, Malaysia and host Vietnam.

The artists will stage dances lasting from 20 to 40 minutes that will be judged on artistic merit.

As many as 200 artists from nine Vietnamese troupes participated in the event. They were from the Vietnam Dance College, Vietnam National Ballet and Opera, Military Culture and Arts College, southern-based Sao Bien Folk Dance and Sing Theatre and provincial troupes from Cao Bang, Ha Giang, Hoa Binh, Son La and Tuyen Quang.

The festival was designed to bolster Vietnam’s culture and art cooperation with other countries, offering a chance to promote the country’s images, people and culture to international friends.

It was also viewed as an opportunity for Vietnamese dancers to meet and learn from experiences of other artists. The festival will run until September 22.

VNA