Passion for ballet's graceful moves takes off

An instructor helps trainees in a ballet training course in Beijing.[Photo by Zou Hong/China Daily]

Since the inauguration of an office in Hong Kong in 2008, the company has experienced a steady growth year-on-year in the Chinese market thanks to this growing passion for dance.

"Over last five years, sales in China have increased from 15 percent to 32 percent", said Annie Shek, marketing manager at Harlequin Floors.

Morning Star, one of the largest private ballet studios in the capital, opened in October 2014 to meet the increasing demand for ballet lessons.

The academy is divided into four large studios, where children and adults practice their technique while live piano music plays in the background.

"When we first opened two years ago we had only a dozen students," explained Emma Wang, director of Morning Star and a former dancer of China's National Ballet.

"Nowadays, we have more than 100 students (including children and adults) and our four studios are always full."

Wang expects this number to keep growing as more parents in China believe that classical ballet can have positive effects in the academic lives of their children.

"Parents appreciate the musicality of ballet and the discipline that it promotes," added Wang. "However, the most important thing is that ballet exams are recognized by British universities."

Nowadays, a growing number of ballet studios in China are offering preparation courses for the Royal Academy of Dance in Britain (RAD) examination, a certificate that grants students bonus points when applying to enter a university in the UK.

This year around 2,000 students took the RAD exam in Beijing and another 6,000 in Shanghai, according to Wang.

Each year, around 230,000 candidates from all over the world take the RAD examination.

Pricing is also an attractive factor to consider ballet lessons, as the average cost of an hour's class is 200 yuan ($30.3).

Nonetheless, the ballet bug is transcending the traditional classical art and becoming the new workout fad.

Five years ago Danish entrepreneur Siri Nordheim co-founded boutique fitness studio club Z&B in Shanghai, the first to introduce Xtend Barre in China, an exercise routine that uses a ballet barre and some of the moves of the classical dance.

"Barre is a total sculpting and cardio workout that will create flat abs, a lifted seat, toned arms, and long lean legs," said Nordheim. "Women feel elegant and graceful while doing it."

The fitness company is growing quickly - having recently opened another studio in Shanghai - and the third one in the city just opened on Sept 10 as Chinese seek alternative workouts.

"We started with two classes a week with 10 students in each," said Nordheim. "Today we offer 150 classes and have around 5,000 bookings per month."

Most customers include women between ages 25-45, but the studio also offers ballet lesson for kids and even toddlers, with prices ranging between 80-140 yuan per class for members and drop-in options for 150 yuan per class.