Sports dance, normally a performance activity, is officially joining the competition category in the Guangzhou Games. With the big event rapidly approaching, training for the new addition is heating up.

Though some observers may find it hard to believe, this is actually a training session for the 2010 Asian Games. Athletes participating the new sports dance event are busy practicing their moves. Unlike other disciplines, pulsating music, shimmering dresses, and graceful routines seem to seriously liven up the long hours of hard work put in by these competitors.

It's definitely not as easy as it might look. Lots of rules and regulations need to be followed, even in regard to the outfits worn by the contestants.

Sports dance competitor Liang Yujie said, "There are lots of rules for dressing. Take Standard for example. You have to wear a long skirt. To make our dancing more attractive, the skirt sweep is very large, and there are many layers. There should also be a gallon. There are various type of gallons to cope with different forms of music and dance."

The strict rules and regulations extend to the athletes' hairstyles as well.

Liang said, "There are rules about our hair. During the competition, our hair should be shiny and glossy. We have to coil our hair too. We even have regulations specifying how to coil our hair."

Sparkling performances on stage can only be achieved after years of painstaking efforts. To perfect their moves, many competitors need to practice single dances for months. Countless shoes and floorboards have been broken in the process. This team's head coach says the members truly hope they can win the first gold medal ever awarded in this new event.

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