TEXT Matt Fleming

Macao’s International Youth Dance Festival 2019 was a feast for the eyes, ears and soul when it took over the city for six days in the summer.

Every year, Macao’s International Youth Dance Festival makes for a colourful scene – but this year’s event, between 20 and 25 July, was special. The festival, which took place outdoors and in venues across the city, was part of the SAR’s first Art Macao, a large-scale cultural extravaganza over more than five months.

The dance festival’s theme was ‘Marvellous Dance for the Celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Macao’s Return to the Motherland’ and young performers from countries covered by the Belt and Road Initiative staged some incredible performances for audiences. Sixteen dance groups from outside the SAR and 10 local troupes took part – with one highlight being a parade that started in front of the Ruins of St Paul’s and then moved through the city centre.

The event overlapped with the International Youth Music Festival, which took place between 17 and 21 July and included workshops, as well as outdoor and indoor performances by young musicians from 10 countries and regions.