An actress performs during a livestream in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, Jan. 15, 2026. (Xinhua/Zou Jingyi)

　　BEIJING, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- The curtain rises, but the applause comes from audiences far beyond the theater walls.

　　Bathed in stage lights, dancers move gracefully before a cluster of cameras. On the other side of the lens, viewers respond in real time, with comments and emojis streaming up the screen, virtual gifts arriving, and thousands tuning in from homes across the country.

　　The performers belong to the Guangzhou Song and Dance Theatre in south China's Guangdong Province. Known for productions inspired by traditions such as the lion dance, the troupe is among a growing number of arts groups turning to livestreaming and social media to connect with audiences beyond the theater.

　　For He Mu, a dancer with the troupe, the digital stage offers an entirely unexpected element.

　　After a serious knee injury forced her to bow out from the stage in 2025, He feared that the performing career she had spent more than two decades building might be put on hold. When the theater later launched a livestreaming program, however, she found her way back beneath the lights.

　　Accustomed to the distant gaze of theater audiences, He stepped into the livestream studio with little experience in front of cameras and almost no instinct for online interaction. She had prepared only a handful of Dunhuang-inspired dances.

　　The response took her by surprise. "Viewers were incredibly enthusiastic," she recalled.