Chinese dance theatre incorporates the choreography and techniques of Western ballet, Chinese folk dance, and xiqu. Its music typically follows Western harmonic rules whilst its melodies are characteristically Chinese. It uses both Western and Chinese instruments. Wuju contains two distinct versions: minzu wuju (ethnic dance-theatre) and Zhongguo balei (Chinese ballet).
Minzu wuju aims at establishing a choreographic vocabulary rooted in Chinese classical and folk dances. The Precious Lotus Lamp (Baoliandeng, 1956), adapted from a traditional jingju play about love between a goddess and a mortal, is considered the first large-scale minzu wuju.
Chinese ballet has ventured to blend Western classical and Chinese traditional styles. Notable productions include The Red Detachment of Women (Hongse niangzijun, 1964) and The White-haired Girl (Baimaonü, 1965), adapted from a 1945 geju. Both were among the eight revolutionary model plays of the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). The 1980s saw adaptations of contemporary literary masterpieces, such as Blessing (Zhufu 1981) and Thunderstorm (Leiyu 1982), which attempted to explore the characters’ psychology through choreography. Recently heralded was Tang Xianzu’s The Peony Pavilion (Mudanting 2016)
中国舞剧综合西方芭蕾、中国民间舞蹈和戏曲中的舞蹈原素与技巧来表达一个戏剧故事。音乐采用西方和声，但是旋律中往往带有很多中国特色，乐队使用中、西乐器。舞剧包括两类：民族舞（包含少数民族舞蹈）和中国芭蕾。
民族舞旨在建立中国古典和民间舞蹈语汇。1956年的《宝莲灯》，改编自京剧，讲述了人神之间的爱情故事被公认为是第一部大型民族舞剧。
中国芭蕾致力将西洋古典和中国传统两种风格糅合在一起。有名的芭蕾作品包括《红色娘子军》（1964）和《白毛女》（1965），后者改编自1945年的同名歌剧。这两部芭蕾都包括在文化大革命时期的八个样板戏之中。20世纪80年代产生了数部新的芭蕾作品，诸如《祝福》（1981）和《雷雨》，两者都试图通过舞蹈手段来探寻人物的心理世界。最近汤显祖的《牡丹亭》受到批评界和观众极大的欢迎（2016）。