According to Xu, telling the classical love story through modern dance has been really challenging.

"Upon my return, many people told me not to forget narrative and subtitles in the play to make it easy to understand. I was however reluctant as I would rather adopt a Chinese and Western integrated style to put forward the story with more space for improvisation," said Xu.

"It also places tougher demands on the actors and actresses. Creating spontaneous music, dance and even inspiration sounds impossible at first, but it is actually how dance drama works abroad," he added.

Apart from the innovative form, the diversity of the troupe has helped create a unique production. With dancers from the Netherlands, Nanjing and Wuxi, music from Finland, and staging by Shanghai Dance Theatre, Crow Man is the product of a rich cocktail of experience.

Chinese and Dutch dancers cooperate to present a beautiful love story adapted from the classic Chinese novel Liaozhai Zhiyi, or Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The drama has also got a thumbs up from its group of Dutch dancers, who say that working with their Chinese colleague has helped them explore new perspectives to embody the beauty of classics.

"We are different both in culture and dancing techniques. They [the Chinese dancers] have strong leaping ability and spin technique. We hope they can open another window, and the [dancing] world will be theirs," said one of the group.

The drama was also staged as the opening dance of the 2017 China Dutch Spring Dance Festival at Jiangsu Grand Theatre in Nanjing on April 25. The festival lasts five days and features ten international modern dance performances and four cross-country academic exchange sessions.