Founded in 1959, Hangzhou Song and Dance Ensemble is composed of a dancing group, a vocalist group, an orchestra, a national music group, a stagecraft group, an art section, an administrative section as well as Hangzhou Meisheng Art Trade Corporation, Hangzhou Zhujiang Musical Instrument Store and a well-equipped theatre.

Since its foundation, the Ensemble has created and staged many well-received operas, dance dramas and large-scale evening performances such as The White Snake and Xuxian, An Ode to the West Lake, Sister Drum, Phoenix Chirps on the Qishan Mountain and Eagle and Snake.

The Dance Poem Sister Drum won prizes of drama, choreographer, director, performance, lighting, costume, and music in the 1997 National Dance Dramas Festival. The dance The Girl of Paper Flower-cut, Misty Rain in the Broken Bridge and Ballad in the Loess Plateau won the prizes of performance, creation, excellent awards etc. in the 4th National Dance Competition.

The Troupe has also created and staged many other well-received operas, such as The Man Whose Birth is Forbidden, The Letters From the South, Jiang Sister, Red guards on the Honghu Lake, Azalea Mountain etc. To strengthen international cultural and art exchange, the Troupe toured the countries and regions Japan, Germany, France, the USA and Hong Kong.

Owing to their contributions to the development of nation's arts, the Troupe was commended by the Ministry of Culture in 1991. It has a number of brilliant stars, such the tenor Zhang Jianyi, Zhang Chenjun, Wang Jun; conductor Zheng Jian; soprano Cheng Hongbing; dancer Xie Jun; erhu player Wu Dengguo; the choreographer-directors Xianyu Kaixuan and Cui wei; the pianist Wu Wei and the violinist Lou Meixian.

Address: 8th Block, Zhaohuixincun, Hangzhou, Zhejiang

Post code: 310014

Tel: (0571) 8803562

Fax: (0571) 88805316