Leading a graceful revival

He may be 60, but Kurax Rejep, an Uygur choreographer who has just spent five years preparing a guide for dancers, is moving on to his next project - a book. Chen Nan reports.

Dozens of students from the Beijing Dance Academy surround Kurax Rejep as the 60-year-old Uygur choreographer performs on the dap hand drum.

At one point, a student with long braided hair in an pink silk dress and wearing a dopa (a traditional four-pointed flat hat), calls to Rejep: "Professor, don't stop playing. We want to dance."