In previous editions, the Holland Dance Festival has already introduced pioneers of modern dance from China such as the Guandong Modern Dance Company and choreographer Shen Wei. For many years, only traditional forms of theatre and dance were permitted in China, but since 2008 the country has had its first 'official' contemporary dance company: the Beijing Dance Theater.

The company comprises nineteen dancers who all combine amazing technique with distinctive stage presence. In the triptych Haze, they move through a misty space, from which all colour has drained away. Their dance floor is an enormous sponge-like mat, which alternates between apparently throwing the dancers off balance and functioning as a trampoline, on which they roll, dive and dash themselves at full speed.

In Haze, the choreographer Wang Yuanyuan –the best-known representative of modern dance in China –gives a creative response to the economic crisis. Yuanyuan is primarily known to the wider public for her choreography for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing.