Rural children put best foot forward

Project run by renowned ballet experts promotes dance, art and music. Zhao Yimeng reports.

"Rather than Knights of the Round Table holding their swords, we are knights without swords, looking at the future direction for our national culture," Guan Yu said, sucking in his waist with a glint of firmness in his eyes.

He and his wife Zhang Ping are the "knights" cited by the renowned ballet teacher, who was stylishly dressed in a smart black T-shirt.

Zhang, a well-known choreographer, is the founder of the Colorful Cloud project. The initiative aims to teach students in the rural areas of Southwest China's Yunnan province to dance and, hopefully, to improve their life chances through the medium.

Since the nonprofit project was launched in 2016, it has given 62 children in Naduo, a village in Yanshan county, and nearby areas the chance to study at arts-based schools in Kunming, the provincial capital.

Last year, the couple established an art institution in Naduo to help continue nurturing local talent and also to provide job opportunities for students from the village who have already graduated but have returned to train their younger peers.

Though he is still employed by the prestigious Beijing Dance Academy, Guan－who has directed performances at events such as the closing ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and a number of G20 summits－will soon leave his comfortable lifestyle in the capital and visit the village again to teach the children.

Having worked with China's best dancers, Guan and Zhang have diverted their attention to the "Paddy field hidden in the mountain", which is what "Naduo" means in the language of the local Yi ethnic group.