On the evening of October 16th, the opening ceremony of the 13th China International Folk Arts Festival was held at the Foshan Cantonese Opera Theatre in Guangdong Province. This year's Festival, themed "Across Mountains and Seas, Together for the Future," has invited performing troupes from 13 countries across five continents. The China International Folk Arts Festival, approved by China's State Council, is a large-scale international folk art exchange event inaugurated in 1990 and held once every three years.

Dr. Jason Boolakee, head of the Alain Ramanisum & Ravanna Troupe, Mauritius, has visited Foshan for the eighth time. He said, Foshan is a sister city of Port Louis, the capital city of Mauritius, but this was the first time he had led a large-scale Mauritian folk arts troupe to Foshan, which was of great significance to them.

From October 16th to 19th, the main venue in Foshan will host a series of activities, including the opening ceremony performances, the Qiuse Parade, community tour performances, and a gala for Chinese and foreign artists. Notably, this Festival will be held in conjunction with the nearly 600-year-old Foshan Qiuse Parade, creating an immersive dialogue between international arts and Foshan's intangible cultural heritage.

From October 20th and 21st, six foreign troupes from Spain, South Africa, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, and Georgia will perform in Shenzhen; three foreign troupes from the United States, Egypt, and the Philippines, together with an ensemble from Chinese Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions, will perform in Zhuhai; and four foreign troupes from Colombia, Mauritius, the Netherlands, and Serbia will perform in Dongguan.

第13届中国国际民间艺术节在广东佛山开幕

10月16日晚，第13届中国国际民间艺术节在广东省佛山粤剧院举行开幕式。本届艺术节以“跨越山海 共向未来”为主题，邀请来自五大洲13个国家的艺术团参加。中国国际民间艺术节是经国务院批准设立的大型国际民间文化交流活动，1990年创办，每三年举办一届。

毛里求斯塞卡歌舞团团长蒋浩铭（Dr.JJason Boolakee）已是第八次来到佛山：“佛山是我们首都路易港的友好城市，但这次是我首次大规模带领毛里求斯的民间艺术造访佛山，对我们而言意义非凡。”

据悉，10月16日至19日，佛山主会场将举办开幕式演出、秋色巡游、基层巡演及中外艺术家大联欢等系列活动。值得一提的是，本届艺术节将与拥有近600年历史的佛山秋色巡游联动，实现国际艺术与佛山非遗的沉浸式对话。

10月20日至21日，西班牙、南非、新西兰、英国、斯里兰卡、格鲁吉亚6个外国艺术团将到深圳进行演出；美国、埃及、菲律宾3个外国艺术团和中国港澳台地区的艺术团将在珠海市演出；哥伦比亚、毛里求斯、荷兰、塞尔维亚4个外国艺术团赴东莞市演出。

文、图 | 记者 黄松炜 杨苑莹 张嘉培 李婷婷 张闻
翻译丨郑奕玲
审校丨赵凡