Dancing to a London beat

"The dance form is a perfect blend of technique and artistry. For my students in the United Kingdom, who are not professional dancers, they learn Chinese classical dance as a way to understand traditional Chinese culture, rather than simply imitating my dance moves," Ma says.

Born and raised in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, Ma started to learn Chinese classical dance at the age of 12. His parents supported his choice but they didn't expect that their son would take it as a career.

"I was fascinated by the dancers who portray roles of ancient heroes through the movements of Chinese classical dance," recalls Ma. "I wanted to be like those dancers, who could bring ancient characters alive onstage through Chinese classical dance moves."

In 2007, he began to study at the Beijing Dance Academy, where he gained his bachelor's degree in Chinese classical dance in 2011. Ma won awards in the country's major competitions-he came first at the Lotus Dance Competition in 2017 and third at the Taoli Cup Dance Competition in 2009 and 2012.

As a dancer with the academy's youth troupe, Ma gained his master's degree from the institute in 2014.

His devotion to dancing led him to a new approach to creating in the time of pandemic.

Ma Ming, a professor of the Beijing Dance Academy, who focuses his research on arts management and cross-cultural communication, says: "As the COVID-19 pandemic poses unprecedented challenges to theater performances, many artists and theaters are focusing on digital media platforms. Uploading dance works has helped Ma Jiaolong gain more audiences and inspired him to dance further."