Dancers to show off skills in China

Tianjin in China is the destination for a group of students from the Msida Dance Centre who will be taking part in the International Culture and Arts Festival there between July 29 and August 2.

Sixteen dancers under the direction of the centre's principal and choreographer Kim Spiteri will present a modern and hip-hop dance programme at the festival.

For the last two months, the dancers have been rehearsing and preparing intensively for their assignment at the Tianjin Festival which attracts worldwide participation from top dance companies.

Tianjin is one of the four municipalities in China and its name means "the place where the emperor crossed the river".

The municipality has been attracting more and more tourists because of its amenities and rich history. It has the largest open seaport in the north of China and ranks as the 15th largest city in the world.

Most of the buildings are similar to those in Europe primarily because Tianjin was run by Italy, Germany, France, Russia, Great Britain, Austria, Japan, the US and Belgium between 1860 and 1940.

Before proceeding to Tianjin, the dancers will be stopping in Hong Kong, Guangdong and Beijing where they have been invited to perform.

The dancers will have the chance to see some of the top-notch landmarks in that part of the world especially in Beijing, where they will be visiting the Great Wall, the Summer Palace and the Forbidden City among other attractions.

This trip has been organised by the Msida Dance Centre with the cooperation and assistance of the Malta-China Friendship Society.

Mayors Anthony Valvo, of Xghajra, and Ian Borg, of Dingli, will be joining the Maltese delegation, including the dancers, travelling to China.

The delegation, which leaves on Thursday and returns on August 7, will be led by Reno Calleja, president of the Malta-China Friendship Society.

The 42-strong group, the largest Maltese contingent ever to visit China, will include three top chefs, a Maltese baker and an owner of a stamp and coins distribution company.

With the cooperation of the Westin Dragonara Hotel, Mr Calleja will be holding a Maltese Gourmet Festival at the famous Dong Fang Hotel with the participation of chefs Stephen Borg Saydon, Jonathan Camilleri and Sylvana Fenech. They will present no fewer than 80 different Maltese dishes.

Also accompanying Mr Calleja will be Mario Debono, a director of Maypole Bakery. He will offer a selection of Maltese bread daily to the guests of the Dong Fang Hotel.

Another notable event will be an exhibition of rare Maltese stamps and coins mounted by Remy Said, of Said International.

The Dong Fang Hotel will be mounting a Malta stand where brochures on the tourist attractions the island has to offer will be distributed.

Mr Calleja will be accompanied by the administrative secretary of the Malta-China Friendship Society, Doreen Sammut, and the education secretary Claudette Bonnici.

Contacted by The Times, Mr Calleja said preparatory work for the events in China have been going on for nine months.

"All this work was done by a handful of volunteers, members of the executive of the Malta-China Friendship Society.

I assure you I had many sleepless nights since the time difference allows me to contact the Chinese only in the early hours of the day.

"It was not easy to rope in the private enterprise in this venture. However, the private sector was convinced that there are great benefits to reap by tapping the enormous Chinese market."