Let's hit the dancelfoor, as the China Dancesport Open trotted into Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province. The fourth big event on this year's tour features more than a thousand competitors, including Gu Qingwu and Lin Zixuan. That duo hit the floor hoping they had a leg up, thanks to the training of their coach, former national champ Hou Yinshan.
Gu Qingwu and Lin Zixuan started dancing together earlier this year, and that turned out to be perfect timing, as former Chinese national champion Hou Yinshan had just retired, and agreed to become their coach. He says watching them perform in the Professional Latin Category, and finish third in Zhengzhou, is a totally different experience.
"Teaching is also tiring in a different way. I need to watch their performances carefully, looking for any weaknesses. I also have to examine their opponents, in order to put together plans for them to improve," said Hou Yinshan.
Although he's no longer strutting his stuff under the bright lights, Hou's dedication to lifting dancesport's profile in China, remains strong. He pays attention to every detail, as experience tells him nothing can be overlooked, when it comes to competition.
"We should think of ourselves as stars. For instance, the color should be evenly painted on the body, and the costumes should be designed to match their performances. All of this adds up to make a complete performance, not just their movements," said Hou Yinshan.
In an event taking place on National Teacher's Day, Gu and Lin would shimmy their way to third place, and later say the best way to pay back their mentor is by working even harder in the future.
"There is an old saying, the pupil outdoes the master, and this is our goal. We want to say Happy Teacher's Day to our mentor, and hopefully achieve better results in the future," said Gu Qingwu & Lin Zixuan, Third Place • Professional Latin Category.
And with ambitious students like Gu and Lin constantly striving to improve their technique, the level of dancesport continues to rise across China.
