Renowned Chinese dancer Chen Ailian will begin a yearlong tour to Beijing on October 6th, marking the 50th anniversary of her dance career, said sources in Beijing on Wednesday.
Chen, who was trained following the 1949 founding of the People's Republic of China, has won many international and domestic awards for her superb artistry, and has been dubbed as the "dancing evergreen" for her ability to perform at age 63.
Chen, now vice chairman of the Chinese Dancers Association, will donate all proceeds from the performances to the establishment of educational institutions in China, organizers say.
The performances, jointly organized by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the Ministry of Culture and the Chinese Dancers Association, will take place in Beijing, Shanghai and other Chinese cities.
Chen, who starred in China's first individual dancing show in 1980, will play leading roles in the performances, which include such masterpieces as Fanyi, a dancing drama adapted from the play Thunderstorm written by the late leading Chinese playwright Cao Yu.
"Dancing originates from life and will also progress with life," said the veteran dancer on Wednesday.
(Xinhua News Agency September 25, 2002)
