Chinese man, 40, resumes ballet 17 years after stopping, practising in warehouses, garages, and outdoors, inspiring many online
- Former ballet dancer resumes passion after nearly two-decade break, delights mainland social media
- He quit dance in 2006 for unidentified reasons and has been engaged in e-commerce ever since
A 40-year-old man in China has touched mainland internet users after he resumed ballet dancing despite not dancing for 17 years.
The man, a Shanghai native, surnamed Yao, is a former ballet dancer who last year resumed dancing. Video clips of him dancing ballet in everyday outfits at various locations such as a warehouse, an underground garage, a dancing studio, and parks have gone viral on Douyin since last year, earning him the nickname “a flexible fatty”, the Shanghai Morning Post reported.
Yao had studied ballet at the prestigious Shanghai Dance School from the age of 11 to 17 before being recruited by Suzhou Ballet Theatre. The report said he quit the industry in 2006 for unidentified reasons and has been engaged in e-commerce since then.
He started to dance again in March last year when many of Shanghai’s residential communities were under lockdown during the mainland’s strict Covid-19 policies.
“I felt bored staying at home all the time. So I thought that I could try to resume ballet dancing,” Yao said.
Yao was clearly aware it would not be easy for him to dance again since he weights 85kg and stands at 182cm.