'Breaking' new ground

Xia has a hectic schedule, traveling around the country organizing street dance competitions, choreographing street dance works and seeking opportunities to further popularize the art form.

"We have a large fan base in China, who are street dance enthusiasts. It's also amazing that professional street dance artists are being recognized by name," Xia says.

He notes that the support of the government greatly helps in promoting the popularity of the art form. For example, teaching materials about street dance have been published by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Publishing House in 2015, which enables the dance style to be formalized and systemic.

In 2018, Xia co-choreographed an original street dance piece entitled Yellow River, inspired by the Yellow River Cantata by the well-known composer Xian Xinghai (1905-45). The dance piece won the prestigious Lotus Award, the highest dance award in China, in the contemporary category.

"When ballet was brought to China, Chinese artists combined the Western art form with Chinese elements and the result was classic ballet pieces such as The Red Detachment of Women. It's also true for street dance," says Xia. "We've seen many choreographers combining Chinese elements in their works, such as integrating martial arts into their dances."

Now, he is working on a new street dance piece, which will focus on depicting the everyday life of contemporary young Chinese people.