学进去

A man in black clothes jumps high into the air. Sometimes, he carries a red fan（扇子）. Sometimes, he spreads his arms like wings. When he lands, the crowd cheers loudly. His dance is eye-catching, and many people watch.

He is Chinese dancer Ma Jiaolong. Since 2020, he’s made short videos of himself dancing in London. He has performed at the city’s parks and landmarks like Tower Bridge. The 35-year-old has nearly 5 million followers on Douyin.

Classical Chinese dance mixes martial（武侠）arts movements with those of traditional Chinese opera. Ma was interested in the movements of classical Chinese dance and started to learn it at 12. Later, Ma studied at the Beijing Dance Academy. Since 2019, he has been teaching classical Chinese dance at Goldsmiths, University of London.

Two years ago, Ma had to give online classes due to COVID-19. In his small home, he could only make small moves. One day, he took his wife’s suggestion and danced at Greenwich Park, a popular place for tourists. She took videos of Ma. He then edited（剪辑）the video, added music and sent it to friends, who loved it and inspired him to share it online. From then on, Ma made more short videos. As his videos went popular, he received messages from people around the world.

“Now, making and sharing short videos has become a part of my life, and, most importantly, a great way to introduce traditional Chinese dance to more people, especially those in foreign countries,” said Ma.