China's Xu Xi dances into spotlight

Chinese dancer lines up on top British TV show

Dancer Xu Xi says she hopes to become a role model and fly the flag for Chinese dancers overseas when she joins the cast for the latest season of the hugely popular BBC primetime entertainment show Strictly Come Dancing this weekend.

This year's staging of the series which inspired the international hit Dancing with the Stars will be the 17th, and in an interview with China Daily, the 28-year-old from Huaihua in Hunan Province said she feels a sense of responsibility as the show's first Chinese dancer.

"I am very proud to be Chinese," said Xu. "With this opportunity, I hope to be a role model, I want to present an accurate image of Chinese dancers. I hope to prove that I did not get to where I am due to luck, but due to my devotion to this profession, and my hard work."

Xu - who goes by the name of Nancy Xu in the United Kingdom - said it was a "dream come true" when she was officially announced as a cast member on the show, known to fans as Strictly, in August.

The show sees professional dancers paired with celebrities, who compete in a series of televised dance contests in front of a panel of judges. It is consistently one of the best-performing series on British television, averaging around 9.5 million viewers per episode.

Strictly is also notorious for placing pressure on cast members, who contend with an unforgiving schedule and intense media scrutiny. Several previous contestants have experienced relationship troubles during filming.

But Xu says her boyfriend - Italian singer and dancer Mikee Introna Michele -- has been nothing but supportive since she was selected for the show.

"I'm not concerned about all that other stuff," Xu said. "I'm just focused and I want to do my best. It's the best stage in the whole world. And it's the same with all the other performers, we want to show the world that we belong there."

Xu will not be paired with a celebrity partner in her debut season, and will instead take part in the group performances of each episode. She said she hopes to prove herself and earn a shot at couples dancing in future series.

"I just have to stay ready - you never know when it will come," she said.

Xu says she takes motivation from knowing her parents will be cheering her on from China this weekend.

"When I told my mom that I got the show she started crying," said Xu. "She told me, 'you left home at a very young age and each step has been challenging. You only share your good news, never your difficulties. Finally, your dreams have come true! I am so happy for you'."

Xu said she rarely battles with nerves before a performance, and attributes the majority of her success to hard work rather than innate talent. She started dancing at the age of eight, and quickly showed promise, gaining entry to Guangdong Dance School in Guangzhou three years later.

"I have always had a passion for dancing since I was little, but I never really made the decision to do it professionally, it just came to me," she said.

Xu racked up some solid results at international competitions in her teens and early 20s, reaching the finals of four major Latin dance championships between 2010 and 2013, but she said performing on stage in front of an audience, rather in competitions, brings out the best in her.

"It's the live band, the music, the audience, everything - I love it all," she said.

Xu broke into showbusiness in China in 2014, when she competed on two televised shows similar to Strictly. In 2015, Xu's talents took her to Broadway in New York and London's West End in live dance show Burn the Floor.

Xu said she has not set goals beyond Strictly, believing instead that new opportunities will present themselves if she keeps applying herself.

"I don't have any particular things in mind for the future," Xu said. "I am ambitious, of course, but I believe if you work hard you get the luck you deserve."