Fans of supercharged dance will have a chance to watch some world-class athletes sweep across the floor at Shanghai's Luwan Stadium this weekend.

But for Cao Beijuan, the only ones who count are two young local contestants she coaches in an increasingly popular competition called dancesport, which combines ballroom dancing with gymnastics.

"This will unquestionably be the best dancesport performance ever staged in Shanghai," said the 47-year-old Cao.

Up to 200 couples from 23 countries will strut their stuff at the Luwan gym in the 2005 Grand Slam Latin Series Shanghai tournament and the International Standard Open Shanghai, both organized by the International Dancesport Federation.

The field for the competitions tomorrow and on Sunday includes 10 of the 12 best couples in the Latin world rankings, including Denmark's Klaus Kongsdal and Viktoria Franova, who are currently tops in that category.

Cao's focus, however, is the standard dance competition on Sunday, when two of her students at the Shanghai Institute of Physical Education might well steal the show.

Zhou Jitian and Sun Yajie, both Shanghai natives, are the reigning Asian champions and represent China's best hopes to claim major honors this weekend. Zhou and Sun will display their skills in the waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, slow foxtrot and quickstep.

"They should be able to make it into top three this time," said Cao, who's in charge of the dancesports and choreography department at the physed institute. The department came into existence just a couple of months ago and is aimed at grooming talents in competitive dancing, which may be inducted into the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Dancesport was an exhibition sport at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

The graceful activity has already taken deep root in the life of ordinary Chinese: More than 34 million people across the country have involved themselves in daily Latin and standard dancing, according to the Chinese Dancesport Association.

"It's a cheap and easy way to keep yourself healthy," said Huang Zaiming, the head of the Shanghai Dancesport Association.

(Shanghai Daily March 11, 2005)