Yan Bangbang: "I want the moon to come to me"

"I hope that in 10 years, if someone wants to see what Latin dance is like, they can search for my video." In a red dance studio at the Luwan Gymnasium, Yan Bangbang, who is nearly 30 years old, smoothed his curly bangs with his hands. He said this to reporters with confidence and flamboyance.

On December 9, the 2023 "Yongye Cup" WDSF Grand Prix Finals opened at the Luwan Stadium. In the Latin dance category that night, the Chinese combination Yan Bangbang/Du Yujun, currently ranked third in the world, danced vigorously and passionately, and finally won fourth place, achieving the first place in Chinese dance sports at the WDSF Grand Prix Finals. A historic breakthrough.

Chinese combination Yan Bangbang/Du Yujun in the competition.

Bangbang is from Jincheng, Shanxi Province, and has been in Shanghai for 10 years. “These 10 years in Shanghai are the beginning of my international journey.”

Because his mother is a piano teacher, Bangbang started playing the piano when he was 2 and a half years old, but due to his active nature, he could never sit still. When he was 9 years old, Bangbang secretly joined a dance class next door to his mother's classroom.

"I didn't know what Latin dance was at that time, so I was attracted by the teacher's three-turn turn at the end. It was so cool. I have been very expressive since I was a child, and I found that dancing is very free and allows me to express myself, so I I just like it." Bangbang started his journey of sports dance with his first teacher Liang Jin. "My first teacher was very unique. At that time, few people danced Latin. I lived in his house, and he took me out to take classes and dance in the square, so I developed my courage."

Yan Bangbang, a dancing boy from Jincheng, Shanxi.

Bangbang’s initial understanding of the world of sports dance came mostly from videos collected by his teacher. “I grew up watching videos of Latin dance world champions. Master-level performances like Slavik’s feel like a god-like existence.”

Although he gave up the piano and chose dance, his artistic mother still supported Bangbang very much. On the weekend, the mother and son took the green train to Beijing and went to the Beijing Dance Academy, just to get guidance from famous teachers.

"I remember very clearly that the 8pm train arrived at 6am the next morning. My mother is a very economical person. She was reluctant to take a taxi when she arrived in Beijing. She asked around and we didn't reach those words until 12 noon. In front of me is the cradle of dancers. "I have been taking "weekend dance classes" for a year and a half. Bangbang's dream is to be admitted to the Beijing Dance Academy.

Bangbang particularly admires his mother’s perseverance, “My mother also helped me take notes, but I actually couldn’t understand many of the terms she came back with. At that time, the school teacher was not very supportive and felt that going to Beijing to learn dance would affect my studies. My mother is so persistent. I’m afraid you won’t find any other parents who take their children to dance lessons in Jincheng.”

A photo of Yan Bangbang with his teachers and classmates when he was studying at the High School Affiliated to Beijing Dance Academy.

In 2006, Bangbang entered the Middle School Affiliated to Beijing Dance Academy and began to study dance systematically. Under the careful training of the famous dance coach Hu Yao, Bangbang's dance skills have improved by leaps and bounds. From Monday to Friday, Bangbang almost always trots all the way to change clothes and go to class; every night during self-study class, he is always the last one to leave the dance studio.

With excellent results in professional courses and a tight focus on cultural courses, it was only a matter of time for Bangbang to be admitted to the Beijing Dance Academy. But when he was 16 years old, he made an important choice in his life - he decided not to go to college. Bangbang's choice was strongly opposed by his whole family, especially his mother, who remained unmoved.

"I was lucky enough to join the national team at the age of 16. At that time, I had already seen the outside world and saw many excellent dancers. I also realized that I could not rely on teachers to guide me in everything. I wanted to go out and have a try. At that time, I and The dance partners went to Europe to see the first city to host a world dance competition. I remember that I didn’t know how to get back to London, so I took a bus with everyone on the bus, and I was very nervous all the way.”

At that age when he didn’t know the heights of the world, Bangbang truly felt that he had his destiny in his own hands. "I feel like a sponge, trying my best to absorb all kinds of information and nutrients. When I see 12-year-old children dancing so well abroad, I take videos of them dancing. But my skills are much better than when we were kids."

If you want to make sports dance a lifelong career, you still have to find the soil that is most suitable for your development. In 2014, 19-year-old Bangbang chose to come to Shanghai.

The Shanghai International Standard Dance Training School in the Luwan Sports Center is where the dreams of many sports dance enthusiasts begin. Che Yao, Qian Zhiwei, Hu Yao, these seniors have worked tirelessly to lead groups of dancers. To this day, Bangbang is still nourished by them. "It is precisely because of the accumulation of their dancers for generations that we are able to stand at the center of the world stage today."

"In Shanghai, it is very important to improve one's horizons. The World DanceSports Grand Prix was introduced to Shanghai, China. I saw what the top contestants were like. Only then did I follow the path they have taken, and finally blaze my own trail. road.”

Bangbang clearly remembers his first participation in the WDSF competition ten years ago. “Our stage ended abruptly in the second round, with our ranking ending at 152nd.”

With the help of a wild card, Bangbang also had the opportunity to stand on the stage of the World Dance Sports Dance Grand Prix Finals. It was the "King of Kings" competition that only the top twelve contestants at the end of the year had the opportunity to participate. The feeling of taking turns to make soy sauce is not good.

"For this dance art that originated from the West, I will not try to pick the moon. I want the moon to come to me. One day I will dance on my own stage in the finals and amidst the applause of the audience."

In 2019, Yan Bangbang and Du Yujun ranked twelfth in points and were shortlisted for the World Dance Sports Grand Prix Finals for the first time, achieving a historic breakthrough in Chinese dance sports and ending China's role as the host country of World Dance Sports. The embarrassment of relying on wild card entries for so long.

Just as our career was reaching a higher starting point, the sudden epidemic disrupted the pace. After not competing abroad for three years, their points were almost cleared. In the second half of 2022, when Yan Bangbang and Du Yujun returned to the WDSF competition, the opponents who had been left behind had already overtaken in corners.

The teacher next to him told Bangbang, "You can no longer just go to the competition for a week or two. You should spend more time competing and practicing."

This is a new departure. Bangbang and Yujun spent two and a half months studying in Europe and participating in various competitions.

The World Championships were the most unforgettable experience for both of them. "Before the most important competition, both of us were sick, had a fever, and were in poor physical condition. The rumba dance in the semi-finals made me cry. I told my partner at the time that we should dance as if it were the last round. This rumba was the first one this year. A gift to ourselves, the two of us danced very passionately and freely. I felt that we danced not with our body, but with our spirit.”

After the rumba, both of them were so exhausted that they collapsed and could not stand firmly. Yujun said: "When the final scores came out, our Russian opponents told us that we were in the finals. We were only 0.001 points more than the opponents behind us." The World Championships entered the finals, and Bangbang and Yujun once again created the best results in the history of Chinese players.

During this trip to Europe, they were not familiar with the place and were not accustomed to eating. The two people who were already thin lost several pounds and lost layers of skin. The reward is that the travel experience value has increased again, and Bangbang has been deeply touched by truly entering the life of a European dancer.

In the 2022 World Championships, Yan Bangbang and Du Yujun won the best result in history of fifth place.

"Many dancers in Europe work too hard. They rely on working as electricians, takeaways, masseurs, hairdressers, and cleaners to make ends meet and continue to dance. In comparison, the current environment for domestic dancers is superior."

Bangbang was so impressed by a pair of dancers from the Czech Republic that they drove eight or nine hours from the Czech Republic to Germany for classes twice a month. The best use of time is to live in the classroom, wake up in the morning and practice dance until night. I am very self-disciplined. "This reminds me of many domestic dancers under the age of 21. Most of them probably take small lessons before the competition, and usually train without any plan or theme. I think this is also why Chinese and European players pull the ball when they are around 18 years old. It’s an important reason for the gap.”

With fluttering clothes and dancing, Shanghai is a wonderful place. This floor of the Luwan Gymnasium witnessed him winning the national championship at the age of 16 and gradually becoming a shining star in the world of sports dance.

Speaking of Bangbang and Yujun becoming dance partners, it is also quite fate. Five years ago, both of them "broke up" with their original dance partners, and it was Bangbang's girlfriend at the time who brought them together, giving them the opportunity to work together. Bangbang and Yujun had never crossed paths before, at most they only met during games.

Yujun said: "On the one hand, I have physical reasons, and on the other hand, I feel that my dancing has reached its limit and it is difficult to make progress, so I plan to give up. After partnering with Bangbang, I was infected by his love for dance and inspired I’m going to create more possibilities.”

Bangbang said: "It's difficult to dance with me because I have a strong sense of self and it's difficult for someone to change me. My dance partner chose to believe in me, listen to me, and gave me a lot of tolerance."

The first national competition after the two teamed up was at the Luwan Stadium, and they won the championship together, which also gave them confidence.

It is no longer luck that Bangbang and Yujun are where they are today. As Bangbang said after the World Championships: "In the past few years, my dance partner and I have only done one thing and one common plan, which is to go all out for the competition. Maintaining passion and having patience are the qualities of a competitive dancer. , the belief in my heart is enough to support high-quality training every second.”

Every time he looks back, Bangbang is always dissatisfied. "Looking at the previous dances from the current perspective, I don't feel that I am dancing, but more of pursuing technology. This year, we have entered another realm and asked ourselves whether we are good enough to become the finals." The quality, attitude and personality of the dancers. Although Latin dance originated in Europe and America, I hope to have elements of Chinese dance to present Chinese culture so that foreign dancers can learn from us and imitate us.”

Bangbang said half-jokingly: "The two of us have the most 'quarrels' this year because you want more." Both Bangbang and Yujun's individual performances are very eye-catching. How can they highlight their individuality and achieve success at the same time? Each other and running-in are always accompanied by them in the process of pursuing their dreams.

Every game is not simply a repeat. Just two days before the start of the competition, Bangbang was still worried about what to convey to the audience in the finals. "The improvisational part of the scene, the 1% uncertainty, may be what everyone expects. We need to create a consensus of 11 greater than 2." The energy of dance.”

At the age of 30, he has just realized the true meaning of dance. This kind of soul enlightenment makes Bangbang very excited, "We are so lucky. We are doing what we love every day, and we can pay and gain for it. Now we are really blooming." "

Finishing in fourth place with a slight disadvantage, Bangbang said: "The love for dance has nothing to do with the result."

In the eyes of newcomers, Bangbang is already a "veteran", but he can't imagine the day he leaves the game. "At the age of 35, I will be my fullest age. After that, my body's functions will slowly decline and it will make me anxious after it reaches its peak."

"I don't dare to relax for a moment. I am willing to sleep with the dream of dancing on my pillow every day."