Mitul Sengupta (center) rehearses for the Beijing performance of White Lotus－Black Sand.  [Photo provided to China Daily]

Choreographed by the couple, Tsao and Ma Bo, the latter a veteran dancer of Beijing Dance/LDTX, White Lotus - Black Sand features more than 20 dancers from China and India. The music contains traditional instruments of both countries, such as the sitar and guqin (Chinese zither).

The costumes feature white and black not only to match the title of the work, but also to express the vibrancy of other colors through contrast, such as yellow and green, which was the idea of the participating Indian artists.

When it premiered at Calcutta Club, a well-known heritage venue in the Indian city of Kolkata, in December 2015, White Lotus - Black Sand was staged five times, drawing more than 5,000 people.

"The response of the audience was fantastic. This is a production to strengthen the bond and cultural heritage of the two ancient countries, which share lots of similarities and a long history of friendship," says Oindrilla Dutt, the curator and initiator of the project.

She named the dance work White Lotus - Black Sand to symbolize "peace, unity and the flowing of time".