“I don’t know of anyone else who has ever invested so much time becoming a full-time jump-roper,” says Li Yue, a performer in the Shanghai Yuedong Youth Sports Club. “This career is a huge investment.”
Wearing a lime-green shirt when he performs, Li radiates energy, flashing playful smiles and victory signs while mixing break-dance moves with gravity-defying leaps. He was a crowd favorite when the jump-rope team performed earlier this month at the Shanghai Creator Awards.
Li is one of more than 70 members of Yuedong. Founded in 2009, the troupe has been spreading its love for the sport around China through workshops, performances, and competitions.
Founder Li Shengxi first encountered jump rope when he was a student at Shanghai University of Sport. Watching a video about a competition, he thought it was the coolest thing he’d ever seen.
Li saw that the simplicity of the sport made it an ideal way to spread fitness to people from all walks of life. Yuedong began to partner with schools throughout China to teach jump roping and promote healthy physical activity.
Members of the troupe say the sheer joy of jumping rope powers the performances.
“When the music turns on, I just can’t control my body,” said Wu Wangqiang, another performer at the Creator Awards. “I’ll just follow the music and be overcome with happiness.”
The crowd responded in kind, cheering and clapping as the group danced through solo jumps, fancy footwork, and backflips. Soon after the performance ended, the group got word that it was one of two winners of the evening’s Performing Arts award. It came with a cash prize of about $18,000.
With the prize money, Yuedong hopes to spread the word about jumping rope through social media. The group has partnered with more than 600 schools in China and plans to add at least 1,000 more schools in the coming years.
The members also want people to see jumping rope as a legitimate sport.
“Not enough people in China know about jump rope performance,” said performer Xie Changlei. “In 10 years, we want jump rope to be an official Olympic sport.”
