First launched by the Beijing Dance Academy in 2019, the forum has brought together some 300 performers, scholars and educators from around the world under the theme of "Dance Culture: Inheritance and Development".

Malakhov, who is regarded by some critics as the "dancer of the century", was the former principal dancer at the Moscow Classical Ballet and the Vienna State Opera, and former artistic director of the Berlin State Ballet. He is an iconic figure on the contemporary dance scene.

In 2022, he joined the teaching faculty of the Beijing Dance Academy for a three-year period.