Shanghai Holds Int'l Ballet Competition

Shanghai Int'l Ballet Competition to Start Monday

The 2nd Shanghai International Ballet Competition, which started on August 12, has gathered 102 elite competitors from 14 countries.

The competition will continue until August 19, when 19 prizes with a total value of 550,000 yuan has been given out. The highest prize, known as the Great China Prize, will be worth 12,000 US dollars.

Shanghai staged the first international ballet competition, the country's only international ballet event, in 1995.

The city received approval from the Ministry of Culture to hold the competition every other year. Organizers of the competition are also engaged in applying for recognition from the UNESCO for the event.

Shanghai to Host Int'l Ballet Competition

The 2nd Shanghai International Ballet Competition will be held from August 12 to 19, six years after the first one was held. A member of the organizing committee said that over 110 ballet dancers from 16 countries, including China, Russia and the United States, have applied to take part.

People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/