Spanish Art: Chinese Flamenco dancer in Spain

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Chinese-born Yao Tianhui is studying flamenco in Spain where it all began. She performed last year at the Chinese New Year festival in Madrid, and has already toured China with a flamenco dance troupe. And as CGTN's Al Goodman reports, she hopes to strengthen the cultural connection between the two countries.

Flamenco moves and flamenco footwork, in a class in Madrid. Yao Tianhui grew up in Beijing. She has been studying intensively in the Spanish capital in recent years, and she even uses the Spanish name of Karina here. For her, Spain's flamenco dance and music have similarities to Chinese opera.

YAO TIANHUI CHINESE FLAMENCO DANCER "Because in the flamenco culture, we have dance, we have guitar and a singer is the basic thing. And in Chinese opera, it's similar."

She first got interested in flamenco when studying Spanish literature back home. She says flamenco is a great way for Chinese people to learn about a different culture. It's an art form, her teacher says, that's ready to embrace anyone who shares the same passion.

CARMEN LA TALEGONA FLAMENCO DANCER & TEACHER "This is a universal art without borders. Dancers with desire and discipline, from any part of the world, can come here and get deeply involved."

Yao Tianhui attends this class five days a week.

YAO TIANHUI CHINESE FLAMENCO DANCER "Through flamenco, I can express certain things, like my happiness, my darkness, everything inside me."

AL GOODMAN MADRID, SPAIN "A few hundred young dancers from China have taken flamenco classes in Spain in recent years. But few of them have gone on to perform as flamenco dancers in China."

Yao Tianhui did. She shows us photos of her flamenco tour to four Chinese cities in 2016, including Beijing and Shanghai. It was a mix of Chinese and Spanish performers.

Just last year, she performed flamenco in the Chinese New Year's celebration in Madrid.

YAO TIANHUI CHINESE FLAMENCO DANCER "We didn't have much time to rehearse, so I was so nervous. I made some mistakes in the performance, but I did enjoy it."

This summer, she plans to offer flamenco immersion for Chinese visitors to Spain, dance classes and tours to professional flamenco nightclubs. Sharing her new passion, and perhaps spreading flamenco's impact to China. Al Goodman, CGTN, Madrid.