The International Contemporary Dance Festival, the first of its kind in Ho Chi Minh City, will run from today until Nov 22.

The festival, put on by Arabesque Co. and inspired by the resounding success of several recent contemporary dance shows, attracts the participation of choreographers and dancers from Vietnam, Italy, Japan and South Korea.

Workshops on the art, which feature choreographers Claudio Malangone, Kaiji Moriyama and Sungyong Kim from Italy, Japan and S. Korea, will also be held at Le Thanh Theater, 25 Phan Phu Tien, district 5 on Nov 16, 17 and 22 respectively.

Two main performances, which feature a variety of contemporary dances, are set to take place at HCMC Opera House at 8pm on Nov 20 and 21.

“The idea of launching such a festival came from local artists’ trips abroad. But instead of waiting for ages for a state-held festival, Arabesque Co. organized its own one,” shared choreographer Tan Loc.

According to Huu Luan, from HCMC Performance Organizing and Film Co., the festival also aims to nurture young dedicated talents in contemporary dance, further boost the art in the local scene and serve as an appealing tourist activity.

The festival is expected to be held in September and expand in scale every year.