For many dancers, appearing on this year's CCTV Spring Festival Gala would no doubt be the peak of their career. But although Wang Di enjoyed sharing the moment with one of his idols, he hopes the gala performance is just another step forward on a longer road.

Wang, now 34, started dancing at the age of 12. During the past decade, he has participated in the Spring Festival Gala five times, both as dancer and choreographer. But this year his performance with the veteran dancer Yang Liping - they vividly portrayed the amorous encounter of two peacocks - struck a chord with the audience and arguably made him one of the few stars created by the annual star-making machine.

Many attribute this year's success to luck, but the young man firmly insists it's his "solid ability" - and of course, his legendary partner Yang would have settled for nothing less.

The iconic Yang is no stranger to TV audiences - it was she who brought the peacock dance into public eye, making it her signature dance and ultimately a national. She chose Wang for the Love of the Peacock dance because she was impressed by his performance in a dance called Aspiration. In the minutes-long dance, with his legs and feet completely still, the dancer expresses his different emotions by moving only his upper body to the changing tempos of Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu.

His creative take on his art and his mature dancing skills in Aspiration have won him several international awards, including a gold medal from the Nagoya International Ballet and Modern Dance Competition and UNESCO's Best Male Dancer of the Year award in 2006.

Because of declining physical ability, dancers who turn 30 are usually soon replaced by younger up-and-comers. The older dancers either become full-time choreographers and teachers or simply leave the industry. Those who are able to stay, in Yang's words, really need to know how to "dance with their heart" as their technique is no longer an advantage.

That's a key reason why Yang invited him to dance with her. At a youthful age 54, she believed "his life experiences would help portray the character". Wang seized on the chance to dance with his idol.

During the two months of rehearsal, the dance was revised dozens of times - and not always small adjustments. Sometimes there was a complete change when a new idea came upon the master artist. In Wang's eyes, Yang is an artist of extreme intelligence and admirable sensitivity to the surroundings, he says the experience was "very educational".

"That's what a master is: One who can get inspiration anytime anywhere. But that's not usually something one is born with. It comes from many years of practice and thinking," he says.

On his own way to becoming a master dancer, Wang has also been trying to enrich his own experiences. In previous years, he has devoted himself to various genres of dancing, such as modern dance, classical dance and folk dance, this year he took part in a dance drama that even incorporated martial arts and Peking opera, all part of his efforts to expand his art.

"Frankly, now I am kind of lost. But it's not a bad thing. It may be a choke point. But after overcoming it, there may be a wide world ahead," he says.

"I believe that when I turn 50, I will have my own signature style. Now I don't want to label myself. But I believe I'll finally settle down in a style that belongs only to me."

hanbingbin@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 04/29/2012 page5)