New twist: Dancing with paper

It has been over two decades since modern dance was imported to China, largely from the West. But the art form has often looked avant-garde and mysterious to local audiences, especially to those people who enjoy traditional Chinese and ethnic folk dances.

Now, a 32-year-old dancer-choreographer hopes to change some of that.

Along with the Beijing-based 9 Contemporary Dance Theater, Chao Ke directed a new show titled In Between, which premiered on July 3 at the Poly Theater in Beijing and will be staged at the National Center for the Performing Arts this month before going to Tianjin, Shanghai and other Chinese cities.