Storyline: A young primary school teacher in a rural village in southwest China has helped boost the confidence of his students - many of them living far away from their migrant worker parents or even coming from broken homes - with extracurricular street dance lessons. The dance lessons started in early 2023 when 25-year-old Wang Jiajia, who majored in music in college, became a math teacher at the Pingzhai Elementary School, a village-level public school in Guizhou Province. Almost immediately, he discovered the local children's passion and talent for dancing. "I was watching the playground from my office door when I noticed some students dancing. I realized they were very talented dancers. Since I know some dance techniques, I wondered if I could teach them and inspire a love of dance in them," said Wang. His idea earned support from the school's principal, who saw the dance club as a way to address an issue that many village schools face. Over the past decades, China's rapid industrialization and urbanization have led hundreds of millions of rural residents to flock to large cities in search of work, leaving the underage children in the care of grandparents and relatives. These left-behind children can face academic difficulties, psychological problems, and safety risks when they lack proper care from capable guardians. "Among the 244 students at our school, left-behind children account for roughly 60 percent, with a significant portion having divorced parents. In such circumstances, having a club to enrich their lives is quite beneficial," said Principal Hu Siyuan. With the school's support, Wang began teaching children to dance in March 2023. To spark the students' interest in the art form, he often adapted popular online dances, taught them to his students, and periodically filmed videos of the kids dancing to post on social media. These short videos garnered significant attention and praise on the Internet. "The online comments about the children were overwhelmingly positive, praising their talent and saying that rural areas need more teachers like me. Seeing that my efforts and actions were recognized by so many people online warmed my heart and was truly rewarding," said Wang. As their popularity spiked, the dance club received numerous invitations to other regions of the country to perform. "These rural kids don't get many chances to go to other places. Since the dance club was established, our students have frequently participated in competitions and performances. This has broadened their horizons," said Hu. Due to a lack of parental companionship, many left-behind children tend to be withdrawn. Learning to dance has enabled them to come out of their shells. "Dancing has given me confidence. Since I learned how to dance, I've got better at saying hello to my teachers and relatives," said student Duan Mengrou. "The most obvious change is their confidence and how they've become more outgoing and sociable. At first, they were too shy to talk to me or raise their hands in class. Now they have the courage to express themselves in front of others, saying their thoughts and ideas out loud. I think this is their most obvious change and it's also the greatest reward I've gained from teaching them," said Wang. The teacher said he has been greatly encouraged by the positive changes and will keep teaching his students to dance. "I believe they come to dance not only to learn this skill, but more importantly, I hope that through dance they can also relax during their free time and enrich their extracurricular lives. By learning dance and stepping outside, they can gain a more direct sense of the world beyond the village and experience the excitement under the spotlight. For them, this will greatly help in defining their dreams or goals for the future," he said. Shotlist: Pingzhai Village, Guizhou Province, southwest China - Recent: 1. Various of elementary school 2. Various of dancing lesson in progress 3. Elementary school building 4. Various of Wang Jiajia teaching math 5. Various of students at playground 6. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Wang Jiajia, elementary school math teacher (starting with shot 5): "I was watching the playground from my office door when I noticed some students dancing. I realized they were very talented dancers. Since I know some dance techniques, I wondered if I could teach them and inspire a love of dance in them." 7. Various of students at playground 8. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Hu Siyuan, elementary school principal (starting with shot 7): "Among the 244 students at our school, left-behind children account for roughly 60 percent, with a significant portion having divorced parents. In such circumstances, having a club to enrich their lives is quite beneficial." 9. Various of Wang, students dancing 10. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Wang Jiajia, elementary school math teacher (partially overlaid with shot 11): "The online comments about the children were overwhelmingly positive, praising their talent and saying that rural areas need more teachers like me. Seeing that my efforts and actions were recognized by so many people online warmed my heart and was truly rewarding." [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 11. Screenshot of social media platform showing dancing videos of students [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] FILE: China - Exact Location and Date Unknown: 12. Various of students dancing on stage Pingzhai Village, Guizhou Province, southwest China - Recent: 13. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Hu Siyuan, elementary school principal: "These rural kids don't get many chances to go to other places. Since the dance club was established, our students have frequently participated in competitions and performances. This has broadened their horizons." 14. Various of Wang, students dancing 15. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Duan Mengrou, elementary school student: "Dancing has given me confidence. Since I learned how to dance, I've got better at saying hello to my teachers and relatives." 16. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Wang Jiajia, elementary school math teacher: "The most obvious change is their confidence and how they've become more outgoing and sociable. At first, they were too shy to talk to me or raise their hands in class. Now they have the courage to express themselves in front of others, saying their thoughts and ideas out loud. I think this is their most obvious change and it's also the greatest reward I've gained from teaching them." 17. Students dancing 18. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Wang Jiajia, elementary school math teacher (starting with shot 17/ending with shots 19-21): "I believe they come to dance not only to learn the skill, but more importantly, I hope that through dance they can also relax during their free time and enrich their extracurricular lives. By learning dance and stepping outside, they can gain a more direct sense of the world beyond the village and experience the excitement under the spotlight. For them, this will greatly help in defining their dreams or goals for the future." 19. Various of students dancing FILE: China - Exact Location and Date Unknown: 20. Students dancing on stage Pingzhai Village, Guizhou Province, southwest China - Recent: 21. Aerial shot of village [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]