Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c11.s2.t9.7

v2.c11.s2.t9.7

In July and August, 1957, Uday Shankar dance troupe visited China at the invitation of the premier Zhou Enlai. There were 27 dancers in his troupe, and they performed in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. On July 25, in the premiere in Beijing, the dance troupe performed the drama *Buddha Life*, *Labor and Machine*, *Indra*, *Manipuri* and so on, with seven musicians accompanying, receiving high praise from the audiences. In Shanghai, the group performed *Shadow Dance* created by Uday Shankar in 1953, and performed for the first time abroad. With slides setting off the background, such new artistic form reflected the performance made by the actors behind the scenes onto the stage curtain, making the audience appreciate their graceful dancing postures and story through the curtain. Zheng Zhenduo, the Vice Minister of Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China, wrote an article on the performance of *Dance like Sunrise*. During the dance troupe’s visit to China, Zhang Jun learned “Dance of Bouncing the Ball” from Uday, and transformed it into her own masterpiece. The dance presented the fun and loveliness of a girl bouncing the ball, and was very popular among Chinese people.