Kids Dance sport developed alongside its adult counterpart, which has grown rapidly in the last two decades. When the first national dance sport event took place in 1989, the kids group event was included as one category. Kids dance in western countries began much earlier than in China. But Chinese kids' involvement in dance sport far surpasses its western counterparts in terms of quantity. There is no doubt that kids represent the future of the sport.
Competition Director of Organizing Committee Zhang Jianxin said, “In this stop of the China Dance Sport Open Series, there are about 200 pairs of kids. Most of them train in professional dance schools or dance clubs. In this competition, the kids' level is higher than in former competitions, and the competition is fierce.”
The competition is indeed fierce. Li Ziyang came seventh in their group. For them, it was an unsatisfactory result, and the parents were on hand to comfort them. They also sponsored the kids to travel to compete.
But result is not everything, and the parents make it clear that there are more important things than just results.
Yang Qian, Li Ziyang's mother, said, “We feel proud of their results today. It was a painstaking effort for them.”
Zhou Weiwei, Zhou Lexuan's mother, said, “In terms of will and character, this is good practice. We need to train them not to give up easily. This is quite important.”
Although there were plenty of tears, these cheeky young kids are still optimistic about everything, seeing this as an unforgettable experience. But what impressed them most did seem surprising.
“We want to see the sea waves!”
These young men told me they learned about many things, including team work and persistence. They took good care of their little dance partners and were obviously proud of their responsibility.
" We are real men!"
18 titles were fought out for the kids group. Most of them are from the southern provinces as well as Beijing. In Friday's Dance Open series feature, we find out how this sport is growing in popularity among China's senior citizens.
(CCTV April 17, 2009)
