Popularity rises

Xia Rui, deputy director and secretary-general of the China Hip-Hop Union Committee, which was founded by the China Dancers Association in 2013, said, "There has been recognition of the rising street dance scene in Xinjiang over the past decade, which we are very proud about."

In recent years, street dance has enjoyed widespread popularity among young Chinese, Xia added.

The art form has taken root in China for a number of reasons, including internet exposure, high-profile celebrity collaborations and televised competitions.

In 2019, organizers of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris proposed adding the hip-hop style of break dancing as an Olympic event. The idea was given a trial run at the 2018 Youth Games in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina, and in 2020, break dancing was approved as a sport for the 2024 Olympics.

Numerous street dance competitions have been held in China, bringing talented dancers into the limelight and allowing the art form to be accepted by the mainstream.

The China Hip-Hop Union Committee said more than 8,000 street dance studios are registered in the nation.

Bahtiyar Yusanjan said that in Xinjiang alone there are over 1,000 registered street dance teachers. Born and raised in Urumqi, he was introduced to the art form by his elder sister.

"I loved dancing as a child. My parents told me that I danced when I listened to music, either on television or radio. Since I was introduced to the art form, I have danced each day by imitating the moves I saw on my sister's DVDs," he said.

He specializes in performing locking — a combination of fast movements and remaining in improvised positions for a short time.

Bahtiyar Yusanjan never planned to become a full-time street dance performer until he enrolled to study at Xinjiang Normal University in 2011. The institution began degree studies in the art form the previous year.

He joined DSP in 2006, and now heads the studio, which was launched in 2001 and is one of the oldest of its kind in Xinjiang.