Dance magic: The standard of ballroom dancing in China is very high, with some universities offering courses in the discipline. Photo provided to Shanghai Star

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In the eyes of Huang Naiyu, an international judge of ballroom and Latin dance, the street side dancers have captured the true essence of dancing: enjoyment of the heart.

In the recent years, live shows of ballroom and Latin dance competitions on the TV, such as Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance, have gained international success, and authorized Chinese editions have attracted millions of viewers in China.

"These shows have made ballroom and Latin dancing very popular in China," Huang says. In Shanghai alone, there are about 300 dance studios, each with club members or students ranging from a few dozen to hundreds.

Children and young dancers are so dedicated to the sport that tens of thousands of them participate in three examinations every year. The examination consists of six levels. Passing them sometimes gives a student some advantage in the competition to enroll in top high schools or colleges, Huang says.

Some Chinese universities, such as sports colleges and theater and film art academies, have undergraduate programs for ballroom and Latin dance majors. "China is probably the only country in the world offering systemic training for professional Latin and ballroom dance majors," Huang says.