Ballet performers dance around the outbreak in masks

The dancers had their body temperatures taken, washed their hands and wore facemasks before beginning rehearsals. The interiors of the building, from the bars in the rehearsal room to corners of the dressing room, are also sterilized every two hours. The company has also staggered the training hours for different groups of dancers to minimize chances of infection.

"It's challenging to perform intensive dance moves while wearing masks, and it leaves us slightly breathless," principal dancer Fan Xiaofeng says.

"But it's not a big deal compared with what medical professionals go through on the front lines."

Although some of Shanghai Ballet's tour and performances for 2020 have been delayed or canceled, the rehearsals are necessary, as the company is preparing to debut a new dance-theater production titled Fragments of the Memory, says Lu Jiashi, a spokesperson for the company.