From April 8 to 12, the director and program manager of the International Office at Beijing Dance Academy (BDA) visited the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in the UK at its invitation, aiming to further advance the implementation of cooperative projects between the two sides. During the visit, on April 9, Ma Jun, Deputy Mayor of Beijing, led a delegation from Beijing’s education sector to the Conservatoire. The delegation was accompanied by Zhang Yaotian, Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, Wang Xiangping, Vice Chairman of the Executive Council of the Beijing Disabled Persons’ Federation, Dong Chuan, Director of the International Cooperation and Exchange Office of the Beijing Municipal Education Commission, and Han Jiayi, an official from the Foreign Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality. Max Puller, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, together with Vice Presidents Aleksander Szram and Victoria Stretton and other key leaders, warmly welcomed the delegation and held discussions on cooperative projects between the two institutions.
During the visit and discussions, Ma Jun, Deputy Mayor of Beijing, noted that Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is one of the UK’s premier music and dance institutions, while BDA stands as a leader in China’s dance education. He affirmed that the Beijing municipal government fully supports the strong collaboration between the two institutions, which will significantly contribute to Beijing’s goal of building the “four centers” (national political center, cultural center, center for international exchanges and center for technological innovation), especially the cultural center and center for international exchanges. He emphasized that Beijing is actively advancing the construction of BDA’s new campus and strongly supports the collaboration between the two institutions in cultivating international talent. He expressed hope that both institutions will soon sign a cooperation agreement and leverage the new campus construction as an opportunity to actively promote the implementation of their cooperative projects.
During the visit, BDA’s delegation engaged in in-depth and pragmatic discussions with representatives from the School of Dance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, including Hannah Dickinson, Head of Student Recruitment and International Relations, Faye Harrison, Deputy Head, Luqian Zhao, Head of East Asia, Naomi Lefebvre Sell, Deputy Dean of the School of Dance, and Stephanie Schober, Head of the Undergraduate Dance Program. The talks focused on key issues such as curriculum development plans and the draft cooperation agreement. They also discussed arrangements for Trinity Laban’s planned research visit to BDA in May, resulting in fruitful outcomes. Additionally, the delegation met with two BDA exchange students currently studying at the Conservatoire to gain in-depth insights into their academic experiences and daily life, providing valuable references to support the development of future cooperative projects.
This visit and exchange have not only established a solid foundation for deepening collaboration between the two institutions but also marked a key milestone for BDA in advancing its internationalization efforts, implementing its strategic development plan, and actively contributing to the capital’s high-quality development.
BDA will take this collaboration with Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance as a valuable opportunity to proactively plan its development, improve the educational environment, and integrate internationalization into its institutional framework through strengthened international exchanges and cooperation. By effectively utilizing international talent and continuously enhancing the level of international education, BDA aim to support the capital’s talent hub development, strive to build a world-class dance university with Chinese characteristics, and tell China’s story through dance on the global stage, thereby elevating the influence and discourse power of Chinese dance education worldwide.
