The 8th CIFAF taking place in Suzhou

The 8th China International Folk Art Festival (CIFAF) is underway in Suzhou, east China’s Jiangsu province. The event provides a feast of international folk art performances, which includes heart-throbbing drum beats, and some of South America’s hottest dances.

Artists attend the opening ceremony of the 8th China International Folk Art Festival in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Oct. 7, 2010. More than 1,200 artists from 15 countries took part in the festival that kicked off on Thursday.

The 8th China International Folk Art Festival, currently the only large-scale international folk art festival in China and hosted by Suzhou for the second time following 2007, was unveiled on the evening of October 7 by Jinji Lake, Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP).

The art troupes come from five different continents, presenting their unique folk songs and music on one stage. On the opening ceremony, the Grand Theatre of SSCAC was the carrier for friendship and cultural exchanges. “A Harvest Season” by the State Dance Company of Belarus to show farmers’ great joy, the vigorous and passionate “Mambo Dance” by the Pakatan Ballet of Cuba, “Fragrance and Music” by dancers wearing crowns and traditional Hanbok from Jun Eun Ja Dance Company of Korea…the brilliant folk performance brought the spectators through different countries.

Exotic performance on opening ceremony

In a Czech performance, young dancers wave their axes to show their happiness in farm work. A Czech dancer said, “In the past, an ax is something we bring everywhere, we used it for cutting trees, or to protect our livestock. But of course now, it is just a tool to express our happiness in dance.”

Jointly organized by China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and Jiangsu Provincial Government, the festival not only had grand opening ceremony and gala performance, but the artists would perform together with the local artists of districts and county-level cities in the vicinity of Suzhou and, then they would move to Beijing to have cultural exchanges with teachers and students of universities there and have closing ceremony on October 17 at National Center for Performing Arts.

Artists from South Korea perform during the 8th China International Folk Art Festival in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Oct. 7, 2010. More than 1,200 artists from 15 countries took part in the festival that kicked off on Thursday.

Feng Yuan, secretary of China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, said, “Up till now, more than 100 art troupes from 52 countries and regions participated in this festival. More than 30 cities in China have hosted the event.”

CIFAF is the only large-scale international folk art festival in China, approved by the State Council and aiming to develop and promote the exchange of folk art between various countries, enrich the cultural life of the masses and show the image of China and Suzhou to the world. In September 2007, undertaking the main venue activities of the 7th CIFAF, Suzhou successfully showed the foreign artists its profound culture and modern elegance.

Their final performance will be at the National Center for Performing Arts on October 17.