"When we knew that the latest season of the reality show was about to premiere, all my dancer friends felt excited," says Xia Rui, deputy director of the China Hip-Hop Union Committee, which was founded by the Chinese Dancers Association in 2013.
"The reality show is like a home for street dancers. Many Chinese dancers joined in to communicate and display their skills," Xia adds.
The committee has more than 30 subcommittees nationwide and has been participating in, and promoting, the reality show since its first season. Original choreographic works based on a combination of street dance styles and Chinese dance styles were encouraged by the committee to localize the Western art form and showcase Chinese dancers' creativity.
There are over 3 million people in the country working in fields related to street dance. Xia says that 90 percent of private street dance organizations are on the verge of closing down due to the pandemic.
"It's a heavy blow to the whole street dance industry and now with everything getting back to normal gradually, we want to attract more people to the dance through the reality show," Xia adds.
Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn
