Maltese dancers win hearts at China festival

A group of Maltese dancers left such a good impression at the Tianjin festival in China recently that they were asked to perform the opening dance of the festival's closing ceremony.

The Tianjin International Children's Culture and Art Festival, one of the largest of its kind in Asia, is held in the city that bears its name. The 16 dancers from the Msida Dance Centre were led by Kim Spiteri, choreographer and school principal.

Ms Spiteri said: "We believe it is a must for Maltese dancers to go abroad and perform to bigger and different audiences".

"During the Tianjin Festival, our dancers had the chance to mix and meet with many dancers from different parts of the world. This is what makes you appreciate dance that much more and widen your knowledge."

The Maltese dancers' bill for this prestigious event consisted of a modern dance programme. Their performances won the hearts of the appreciative audience and the media. In fact during the six-day event, the dancers were interviewed by the media and were featured on the front pages of Tianjin dailies.

In all, 44 countries and Chinese provinces took part in the festival.

The Msida Dance Centre group also performed in Hong Kong, Guangdong and Jiangmen. In addition, they visited Beijing and its main tourist attractions.

The group took part in the Tianjin Festival with the cooperation and assistance of the Malta-China Friendship Society.

"At Msida Dance Centre we are always looking for opportunities to perform overseas.

"As a matter of fact, after this wonderful experience in China, another group of dancers from our school will be taking part in a Youth Dance Festival in Cyprus in December," Ms Spiteri said.