With passion, joy & spring in her step

Tan Yuanyuan performs with pianist Lang Lang during the Spring Festival gala by Hunan TV, which aired on Feb 12. CHINA DAILY

"Luckily there was tacit agreement between us, and we had a common understanding on what we should dance to and about," Tan said. "Things were going better and proceeding more quickly than we had expected. Professionalism is the key. We tried each movement again and again until we were all satisfied."

After watching Tan's performance in the gala, one of her fans commented on the social media platform Sina Weibo: "Whether she is twirling, leaping or bending, she makes her graceful moves look effortless."

Another wrote: "She's so beautiful, and she inspired me to learn ballet. I wish she would she return to perform in her home country more often."

It was the third time that Tan has performed in the CCTV Spring Festival gala, said to have attracted 1.14 billion viewers this year.

In 1994 Tan, then 18, made her debut performance with the violinist Lyu Siqing and the pianist Kong Xiangdong. In 2006 she returned to perform with the dancers Yang Liping and Liu Yan.

Last December Tan appeared in Hunan TV's popular reality show Dance Smash, which came as a surprise for Chinese audiences as well as garnering her a new fan base. Gathering top Chinese dancers, the reality show features the technology to capture diverse dance styles in motion.

"It is the first time that I have appeared in a Chinese reality TV show," Tan said. "I guess I must have surprised a lot of people around the world－including myself."