BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- A modern dance inspired by Russian folklorist Vladimir Propp's "The Morphology of the Fairy Tale" will highlight the "Festival Croisements" in China in May next year, the French Cultural Center in Beijing said Saturday.

    "Manuel du Merveilleux," or "Manual of Miracles," depicts some of the literary mysteries by drawing on the method of Propp's classic, according to Li Peng, a communication officer of the center. Propp's work in 1928 has been widely remembered for exploring the 31 functions repeated in fairy tales of all the world's nations.

    The 85-minute piece is a famous work of the French Systeme Castafiore headed by established dancer Marcia Barcellos and composer Karl Biscuit.

    The works of the company integrate dancing, sophisticated images, sound installations to creates a playful atmosphere overflowing with imagination.

    Li said, the work was scheduled to tour the cities including Guangzhou, Kunming, Beijing and Shanghai.

    It will be a part of the activities of the 2010 "Festival Croisements" running from April to June. The event, launched in 2006, has been an effort to increase the cultural exchange between China and France.

    The festival attracted some 250,000 people last year in China, said Herve Ladsous, the French Ambassador to China, at the official website of the activity.