​'Street Dance of China': Reality show pushes street dance to the mainstream
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From "Do you have freestyle?" to "Do you have the moves?" After the huge success of reality show "The Rap of China", there's a new kid on the block - and he's just as popular. "Street Dance of China", an original reality show based on the urban art form of street dance, has become a huge hit among young Chinese people in the country. Since its debut two months ago, the show has already gained more than 1.3 billion views. Take a look!
"Street Dance of China" is the country's first-ever reality show that centers on street dancing.
The show features four celebrity "team leaders" - Yi Yangqianxi, a member from the famous boy band TFboys; singers and actors Huang Zitao, Han Geng, and Taiwan singer Show Lo. Similar to reality show "The Voice" each of them select dancers from 390 contestants to join their teams, which will then compete against one another.
Since its debut on Chinese online video platform Youku in February, the show has already gained over 1.3 billion views and has received tonnes of positive reviews.
And many of the show's contestants have shot to stardom as a result. Han Yu is one of them. The 29-year-old Wuhan native took home the championship title after a 22-round battle in the season finale.
JENNIFER HSIUNG BEIJING "I'm here today with Han Yu at DanceBank Dance Studio in Beijing. Ever since his successful debut on Street Dance of China, the number of his followers on Chinese social media Weibo has skyrocketed from 50,000 to half a million. And he's also a dance teacher. We gotta take advantage of that, so today he's gonna show me some of his winning moves.
Having been practicing street dance for 15 years, Han says he's excited to see that it's getting more exposure these days.
HAN YU WINNER, "STREET DANCE OF CHINA" "Street dance was actually introduced to China over 3 decades ago, and there are many street dance competitions, but none of them has been as influential as "Street Dance of China". This show has helped this form of dance spread very quickly in China."
On top of showcasing the different dance styles within street dance, such as breaking, popping, locking and krumping, "Street Dance of China" also brings out the core values of hip hop culture in China, which are peace, love and respect.
LU WEI DIRECTOR, "STREET DANCE OF CHINA" "Peace, love and respect, these are the values we want to express through this show. These are also the values shared by the younger generation today. I think this is the reason why "Street Dance of China" has gained so much popularity - especially among the youth."
Because the show has been so well-received in China, Youku will soon distribute throughout other Southeast Asian countries.
Season two of Street Dance of China is scheduled to be released in the 4th quarter of this year.