Steps in many directions

Asked why she didn't choreograph herself, Jin says: "I am not a managing director of a processing factory. I have no production quota. I am the artistic director of my dance company so my job is to make sure of the direction of the company's development and guarantee the quality of the dance.

"When I have no desire to choreograph, I just let other great artists do the job. I have other work to do, such as being a translator and designing costumes for the dancers."

Jin, who was born into an ethnic Korean family in Shenyang, Liaoning province, got interested in dance at 9, and joined the military song and dance troupe of Shenyang in 1978.

She won a national dance competition as a teenager and in 1988, she was sent to New York to further her studies in modern dance. One of her choreographic works, titled Half Dream, won the Best Choreography Award at the American Dance Festival.

She later moved to Europe, dancing and teaching from 1991 to 1993, before she returned to China at the age of 26.

Speaking about how her life influences her work, she says: "My experience of working in the US and in Europe allows me to have an open vision, and I know what the limits of Chinese dancers are. So I invite internationally-celebrated choreographers to train my dancers and create dance works for Chinese audiences.

"Modern dance is an art form which you watch and think about. It's not a showcase, impressing you with a dazzling move or special effects."

"Dance found me first. And I am still practicing every day. I am ready to dance. And if I can't dance, I still have the stage for acting and hosting talk shows. I enjoy every minute of being onstage," she says.