Dancing Queen

Legendary Chinese dancer-choreographer Chen Ailian is showing no sign of slowing down even as she approaches 80. Chen Nan reports.

After two hours of working on her makeup and costumes and several phone calls, Chen Ailian walks out of her room. A glimpse of the dance floor angers her because she notices some footprints. "Ready to start? Let's start!" she says in a firm voice after the floor is wiped clean. Standing in the middle of the stage in front of a camera, the legendary Chinese dancer-choreographer, who is 78, shows no sign of slowing down.

Over Sept 14-16, she did three nights of performances to celebrate her career spanning 65 years.