Thursday, the Beijing Dance Festival began its annual two-week mission to bring a number of high quality international performances to China's capital. 

Ending on July 28, the festival is offering audiences 64 contemporary dance performances by dancers from all over the world.

A series of master classes as well as other workshops and seminars are also available for lovers of dance to choose from. 

Three shows are making their Asia premieres during the festival.

With its performance OCD Love, named after the Neil Hilborn poem, the L-E-V Dance Company from Israel is presenting a story about the regrets of what might have been and lovers who keep missing each other.

Wish by the CobosMika Dance Company from Spain combines dance with visual art. The entire performance, which uses fast movements and difficult aerial acrobatics to suggest the emotion of desire, was inspired by the artwork of Russian painter and writer Nikolai Roerich.

German dance group Tanzcompagnie Giessen's Siddhartha is inspired by Hermann Hesse's novel of the same name. Largely involving water, a water installation is being used to spread water on the stage and create different visual effects.

Moko by the Atamira Dance Company from New Zealand, Organized Chaos by Singapore's T.H.E Dance Company and Accumulating by Spanish choreographer Aimar Perez Gali are also expected to be festival highlights as they are all known for pushing the boundaries of dance theater by incorporating different art forms and technology into dance.

As festival organizers, the Beijing Dance/ LDTX Theater, Guangdong Modern Dance Company and City Contemporary Dance Company from Hong Kong, are also bringing their newest works to the dance feast, inviting domestic dance troupe veterans that have gone abroad back to China for the performances.

The main venues for the festival are the People's Liberation Army Opera House and the Nine and Beijing Dance/LDTX theaters.