Yang Kai Photo: Screenshot of Youku video

Yang Kai, champion of the third season of Street Dance of China, a hit Chinese variety show with international dancers, announced that he will lead a street dance team to compete at the Chinese National Games to be held in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, from September 15. Their ultimate goal is the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Yang, also champion of HIPHOPINTERNATIONAL 2016 World Battles, was nominated as head coach of the street dance team of Sichuan Province. He will lead the team to compete at the national games and the 2022 Asian Games that will be held in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, according to a report by The Paper published on Monday.

Breakdancing, a form of dance with deep roots in street culture, has been listed as an official competitive sport for the 14th National Games of China since June. Earlier, in December 2020, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially added breakdancing as a medal event for the 2024 Paris Games under the name "Breaking".

Most Chinese professional street dancers itched to jump into greater platforms, especially at the Olympic Games, and also realized that the level of Chinese dancers still has a gap with dancers from countries that have a long tradition of street dance.

"The Chinese team may qualify but it is more difficult to win a medal," Yang Ning, professional jazz dancer, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Break dancer Gao Qian also recognized the gap between Chinese dancers and overseas powerhouses on breaking.

The dance team has been training for more than one month, Yang told The Paper, and  every day they have a training plan. "In the morning, we have some strength exercises and in the afternoon our training is done in accordance with events at the games and mainly to improve our own dancing skills," Yang said.

In the video posted on The Paper, Yang gave his teammates an example of some dance moves through his mobile phone.

Huang Kai, member of the team and one of the contestants in the third season of the variety show, said in the video that dancers are very excited for street dance being listed as a competitive event of the national and Olympic Games.

"It can broaden the road of us dancers when we compete at the great sports games," Deng Yucong said.

Yang claimed victory in the variety show after defeating powerful contestants including French dancer Bouboo, one of the most successful Hip Hop battlers in the world.

The fourth season of Street Dance of China has been aired on the video platform Youku since August 14. The four mentors of the show, Wang Yibo, Han Geng, Henry Lau and Lay Zhang, all of whom have extensive experience in the South Korean entertainment industry, will select four teams to compete for the championship.

Some street dancers consider that the previous seasons of the program can show the level of Chinese dancers, while the fourth season focuses more on international dancers like Bouboo.

"Overall, the show expands the sound of Chinese street dance in the world," Yang told the Global Times.