Rural dance teacher takes troupe to world stage

Yan Ye’an, 38, is a dance instructor in rural Qionghai, Hainan province. Yan, who is from a rural family, failed to go to college and became a teacher of arts in 1991, despite having no formal training in choreography. That same year, Yu‘s students won top honors in a dance competition with a performance of Unforgettable Road in Qionghai. Yu learned all the basics from books and TV and radio programs. Yu said his boy dance group started in a room with a leaky steel roof, bare pipes and a broken recorder. All 60 members were from rural families. But after arduous rehearsals, Yu and his boys won many awards at home and were invited to dance at the Sydney Opera House in 2005 and Vienna Golden Hall in 2007. Yu’s dance group became the first one from the province to step onto a world stage. [Photo/Xinhua]