Contemporary dance made it's splash in China more than three decades ago, but the Guangdong Modern Dance Company, or GMDC for short, is the first of its kind in the country. At the ongoing Guangdong Dance Festival, CCTV reporter spoke with a senior dancer and choreographer from GMDC about her thoughts on the modern dance movement in China.

My name is Li Pianpian, I'm 32 years old, from Wuhan city, Hubei Province. I graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy and now I am a dancer at the Guangdong Modern Dance Company.

Modern dance makes me a better person. There's no cheating when it comes to dancing. Your words can lie but your body will tell the truth. Dancers become a part of their dances. And you can’t disguise yourself in dancing. That’s the truth in modern dancing. If you pretend to be somebody else, it will be revealed on the stage.

I first witnessed modern dance in 1999, when I came across the Guangdong Modern Dance Company. I remember thinking, "How can they dance like this? It was totally different from any of the dances I’d ever seen. They looked like gods to me. Those Modern dancers didn’t deliberately express something. Stories just grew out of their bodies and they breathed it. It was so natural. With just one glimpse, I got goose bumps all over.

Modern dance was introduced to China from the Western world. At the very beginning, audiences were puzzled. "What’s this? What are those dancers doing? Why did they suddenly lie on the ground?" People here thought it was too abstract and foolish.

A famous dancer and choreographer named Willy Cao, once said: "When you look up at the clouds in the sky, you can think about nothing or anything. It’s just moving and you feel comfortable. Everyone has their different emotions at that time. But the choreographers of modern dance plant their flowers on another shore. They have their own destinations, but still hope every audience member will come to their own interpretations.

Now we often reach out to schools or neighborhoods to give performances. Now in this small theatre, sometimes audience would even sit on the stairs to watch.More and more peope, whether they understand it or not, are willing to know more about modern dance. This is really a great start."

Now I live in a rented apartment and have no car. I also have a child. But I don’t think life is hard. In fact, choosing to do modern dance is a luxurious choice - but one that cannot make you rich. But I just enjoy the spiritual happiness, the spiritual richness of it. Since I've already made my choice, houses and cars are not my concerns now.

Modern dancers are like ascetic monks. When you step into the rehearsal room, you have to clear your thoughts. It’s like sitting in meditation. You have to empty your mind and absorb everything. It’s a constant practice of purifying your nature and heart.