Looking at different cultural contexts in the contemporary dance of ArtsCross/Danscross

The ArtsCross/Danscross project aimed to build and strengthen artistic dialogue and interaction, understanding and communication among those from different cultural backgrounds. From observing and discussing nine choreographic processes, we discovered a problem: differences in the understanding of the term ‘contemporary dance’. This article discusses choreographic works from ArtsCross/Danscross, starting with views on and comparisons of Chinese and western contemporary dance. The article analyses the reasons for differences in the awareness of contemporary dance of people from different cultural backgrounds and thereby triggers reflections on the prospects for the development of dance in contemporary China.