A breathtaking ballet unfolds underwater

An underwater ballet performed daily is attracting lots of visitors to Harbin Polar Park in Harbin, Heilongjiang province.

Accompanied by beautiful music, the performers dive to the bottom of a glass enclosure and elegantly show off classic ballet poses and movements. Some dancers are dressed as mermaid princesses or princes as they present classic fairytales underwater.

"It is really difficult to dance underwater, especially not breathing," said Zhang Jiwei, a staff member at the park. "To complete the movements smoothly and coherently, the dancers need to hold their breath for two to three minutes while overcoming the great buoyancy of the water at a depth of six meters."