BEIJING, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Red Dance Global Prix (RDGP) 4th, an international dance competition, was staged in Beijing Wednesday through Thursday.

Hosted by Beijing Dancer Culture and Art Development Company, the event attracted over 1,300 participants from countries including China, Russia, Italy and Lithuania.

The competition this year was divided into children, youth and adult categories. A lecture was also given by Margherita Parrilla, former director of the Italian National Dance Academy and Maria Elena Grillo, dance historian.

Classical Chinese dance comes from ancient Chinese traditions and classical ballet born in Italy demonstrates the closeness and diversity of our cultures, Parrilla said. "It is important for European dancers to understand Chinese classic dance," she added.

Weng Jiamei, 29, who co-operates a dancing school in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, wowed the audience with her classical Chinese fairy dance.

The secret to making dancing graceful is to hold beauty in the heart, she said.

"Chinese dance is amazing and I am happy to come here and see many talented young people on the stage," said Grillo.

Liu Ruoran, 11, said the event offers her a great opportunity to learn from fellow dancers from different countries and of different ages.

Patricia Salvatori, an Italian producer, said there are a lot that Chinese and Italian dancers can learn from each other.

"It is a great pleasure to see everything that Chinese dancers share on the stage. I like the beauty, softness and elegance, as well as the colorful expressions in Chinese dances," said Tomi Flego, a Croatian working in Italy.

Jiang Zuhui, a former choreographer with the National Ballet of China, said this event constitutes a platform for Chinese and foreign dancers to exchange with each other.

Zhang Xiaohui, co-founder of the RDGP, said she hopes the event can become a bridge to learn more about the global world of dance.