The Chinese Dance Examination Syllabus (CDES) offers students a cohesive and well rounded approach to Chinese dance studies.  It emphasizes technical ability (posture, flexibility, strength and co-ordination) through progressive floor, barre and centre exercises.  It also introduces students to Classical Chinese dance, which emphasizes musicality, lyricism, poise, and the use of eyes and facial expression.  There is opportunity for students to express their own creativity in free movement exercises, which in the higher levels include challenging shifts in tempo and dynamics.  Finally, through the introduction of National Folk dances, students are further exposed to different styles of Chinese dance, which vary from region to region.  The Beijing Dance Academy CDES is studied by tens of thousands of students in China and abroad, and has been taught at LLDA since 1992.