With street dance breaking into the mainstream, China Oriental Performing Arts Group has launched its street dance group, the first of its kind in the mainland, managed by a national-level performing arts company.

With its history dating to the 1950s, China Oriental Performing Arts Group is known for its grand dance productions and galas, combining singing and dancing shows of various styles. The company not only performs at home but also abroad, playing a key role in cultural exchanges.

The newly established China Oriental Street Dance Group, which was officially announced at the headquarters of China Oriental Performing Arts Group in Beijing on April 29, will bring audiences street dance shows, as well as training street dancers in cooperation with the General Administration of Sport of China and the Chinese Olympic Committee.

Street dance is the general term for a number of dance styles, including breaking, hip-hop, locking, popping and house. Each style is independent, with its own history and different look. The history of street dance dates to the 1960s and 1970s when young people of ethnic African, Caribbean and Latino communities in the United States met up socially and expressed themselves through dancing. Over the past decades, street dance has evolved and attracted young people on a variety of levels, as an art form, a competitive activity or for physical exercise.

It became popular in China after street dance-themed movies were screened in the country, and some of the first groups of street dancers became as famous as pop stars, such as the late dancer-choreographer Tao Jin (1961-97), who was known for his performance in the breakdancing-themed movie, Rock Kids (1988), directed by Tian Zhuangzhuang.