Spring Festival Gala has had its first dress rehearsal. Now in its 28th year, this year's dress rehearsal invited audience members from different industries.

The dress rehearsal has started on time at 2pm Beijing time. Singing and dancing, which traditionally opens the Spring Festival Gala, will continue to build up excitement right from the start.

Chen Yan, Director of Stage Design, 2011 CCTV Spring Festival Gala, said, "Our ideas of design are inspired by a paper-cut. Audience members, folk actors and stage designers have all participated in the stage design."

Many performers say that even though they have made it to the rehearsals, their position is far from secure. More adjustments will be made before the final selection. In the make-up rooms, many well-known performers such as Feng Gong and Song Jia have been discussing their programs. They say they're looking forward to this year's Gala.

Even though the performers are going all out, some will likely be eliminated after six rounds of dress rehearsals. The final gala bill will be further trimmed to around thirty performances lasting around four hours.