Ivan Caracalla, head of Caracalla Dance Theater.
"The Silk Road brought together the world. It was not just about trade but about people meeting each other and people discovering each other. This is what made the Silk Road thrive," he says.
"This promoted the dialogue of civilization, the dialogue of culture, the dialogue of people. It was a great way to break barriers.
"Since Xi'an was the departure point of the Silk Road, we wanted to stage a show in Xi'an next year to kick off the China tour."
He also says the production has dancers from China's Inner Mongolia Dance Theater, and their presence is the biggest tie-up that the Caracalla Dance Theater has had with China.
The Caracalla Dance Theater, founded by Caracalla's father, Abdel-Halim Caracalla, in 1968, is one of the leading dance companies in the Middle East.
The troupe, which has developed its own language of dance by bridging Eastern and Western styles through its work with companies and performers from around the world, has its own theater and dance school in Beirut.
Comprising around 60 core members, including Abdel-Halim Caracalla, the artistic director; and Ivan Caracalla's sister, Alissar Caracalla, the choreographer; the Caracalla Dance Theater has produced 16 dance shows. They include Two Thousand and One Nights and Knights of the Moon, which toured such major cities as Paris, London and Washington DC.
Meanwhile, the group has been performing in China since 2005.
In 2010, it worked with Chinese actors from the Hangzhou Song and Dance Theater for the first time for its musical and dance production Zayed and the Dream, which toured the world in 2011.
Ivan says that besides inviting Chinese performers to join the theater's productions, he hopes to have exchange programs where students from the Caracalla Dance School can visit China and learn traditional Chinese dance.
