Sa Dingding performes at London's Lancaster House in the presence of President Xi Jinping and his wife at a creative collaboration summit between China and the UK. [Photo Provided to China Daily]

Besides potential collaborations with De Vries, Sa also has American Emmy-winning composer Laura Karpman working with her in the new company.

In 2015, Sa performed at London's Lancaster House in the presence of President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at a creative collaboration summit between China and the UK that Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, also attended. Her work featured ethnic dancers from Southwest China's Yunnan province.

"I was crazy about her music, especially her voice," recalls Karpman, who participated in the UK event. "We spent five days together in Beijing before she performed in London. Every night, she invited musicians from all over China to play music after dinner. The last night, there was only her, singing a song without any accompanying instrument. That was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard."

A composer for 25 years, Karpman, was trained classically and graduated from The Juilliard School. She has always been fascinated by the potential of marrying music with drama.

"The new company that Sa Dingding is working with also deals with movies and TV shows. We will see if we can incorporate Western-style music into Chinese films," Karpman says.

(China Daily 05/13/2017 page18)