Russian couple allow students to show their creativity, report Chen Nan in Beijing and Liu Kun in Wuhan.

When they first arrived in Wuhan, Hubei province about three years ago, Lyaysan Akhmadullina and Maxim Peshekhodko, a couple from Russia who came to teach at a local ballet school, faced the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Their new life was heavily disrupted, since the ballet school, like many other art institutions in the city, was temporarily closed. The couple tried to figure out ways of keeping in touch with their students, opting to offer free online courses every day, to keep their students engaged and help them maintain regular training.

"We were worried about our students, because it takes continuous training to keep their bodies capable of achieving a beautiful line, such as straight legs, fully-pointed feet and long, delicate arms. Though our students might not become professional ballet dancers, we still wanted them to have formal and systemic training," recalls Akhmadullina.

"Though the classes were online, students worked very hard to keep up with us. It was a difficult time for all of us back then, but we worked together to get through it," adds Peshekhodko.

Once the pandemic was brought under control, and daily life had returned to normal in the city, the couple finally met their students in the classroom which was like "having a family reunion", Akhmadullina says.

"We saw and experienced the city when it was hit hard by the pandemic, but now everything is back to normal, which has allowed us to explore and enjoy our lives here." she says.

Before teaching ballet in Wuhan, the couple were at a ballet school in Xiamen, Fujian province, where they worked from 2012 to 2018.

Akhmadullina, 36, was born in Kazan, Russia, and started to dance at the age of 5. Peshekhodko, 33, was born in Cheboksary and first received dance training at 6 years old. From 2016 to 2017, he studied at the Chinese Language and Culture College of Huaqiao University in Quanzhou, Fujian province. The couple both performed with the Crown of the Russian Ballet and Konstantin Tachkin St. Petersburg Ballet Theater.

As ballet dancers, they toured Chinese cities many times with productions such as Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and Don Quixote.

"We have seen lots of changes in China, and we are especially impressed by the appetite for dance in the country. There are many beautiful theaters staging ballet performances. Chinese parents often take their children to those shows, and give them a glimpse of the art form," says Akhmadullina.

"In the past, only bigger cities had ballet schools, but now children living in smaller cities also have the opportunity to learn ballet. They love the art form, and many have won international awards. There is a very promising dance scene here."

Three years ago, when the couple started living and working in Wuhan, they didn't expect that they would move to the city permanently.

During the weekends, the couple love walking around the park near their home. When they dance in the park, passers-by will join them. Some even teach the couple folk and classical Chinese dances.

"Now, we are preparing to have a family. We want to have two or three children, as both of us grew up in big families. We love children and we want to raise ours in Wuhan," says Akhmadullina, adding that they also plan to open their own ballet studio in the city.