Straight outta Xinjiang

There Bahadeer met Wang Han, a teacher, dancer and choreographer.

"It was amazing because I'd never come across dancers from Xinjiang," says Wang, a Shanghai native who got into dancing 33 years ago and received training from Ohji, a well-known Japanese hip-hop coach.

In 1999 Wang opened a street dance studio, Dragon Dance, in Shanghai. Then Bahadeer started dancing with Wang and more and more dancers from Xinjiang traveled to Shanghai to learn street dance with him.

Soon after, Bahadeer opened his own street dance studio, DSP, standing for dream, soul and passion, in Urumqi.

In April this year Bahadeer, with the help of Wang, who is the head judge of Hip-Hop International China, took the street dance competition Hip-Hop International China to Xinjiang. In two days street dance lovers from all over the region attended, as competitors and as spectators.

Hip-Hop International is a competition that represents the best and the most talented in hip-hop dancing. Hip-Hop International was founded in 2002 and has branches in more than 50 countries and regions, all of which send teams to the world championship, this year's edition of which was held in Phoenix, Arizona, last month. It was held in Shanghai three years ago.

"Xinjiang's dancers are really impressive, particularly the younger ones who have developed a strong passion for hip-hop and street dancing," Wang says.

"Xinjiang's population comprises people from many different ethnic groups, and they have an innate talent for dancing and singing. It's a wonderful melting pot."

A Shenzhen company, Hip-Hop Fusion, has staged the Listen Up Rap Performance Contest nationwide for three years, and next year the contest will be held in Xinjiang for the first time, says the company's founder, Li Haiqin, a veteran Chinese hip-hop culture promoter also known as Come Lee,

"More than 20 Xinjiang rappers have taken part in the Listen Up Rap Performance Contest over the past three years and they've shown great promise. Some, including Air, who won the contest's Shenzhen leg, have broken into top-three lists."