A row of tiny little faces stare ahead, fixed in concentration.

When the music filters in, echoing off the wood floors and cement walls, slender arms strike out gracefully, feet shuffle in speedy and, more importantly, rhythmic fashion.

Most of these students have been taking Latin dance classes for at least six months, some for several years.

And the fruit of their efforts is readily apparent. All of them move in tandem as parents watch from the fringe, pride etched on their faces.

It’s a startlingly development in China. Not so much the Latin dance craze -- although of course that’s somewhat unexpected. What’s surprising is the apparent radical transformation in the way Chinese parents are bringing up their children.   

Fun is the focus
Unlike their own upbringing, these parents want to give their kids the opportunity to enjoy as wide a variety of extra-curricular activities as possible. 

And although it looked like there may be some potential future ballroom champs in our midst, most of the parents we talked to seemed to just want their kids to have fun.

"I think she is very happy when she dances," said Lu Xiao Ye, the mother of 7-year old Lu Mina, who’s been taking Latin dance classes for two years. "She has a very free feeling….This is the most important thing, the child’s well-being."

Lu must be a pretty happy kid. Each week, she takes a total of three hours of class per week, bopping away on the dance floor, her long black ponytail swinging in time to the one-two-three beat.

By the same token, Huang must be completely high. For a year and a half, he’s been taking three dance classes – totaling eight hours at a time – each week.

His father, Huang Jing Pao, was a professional dancer many years ago and is very happy that his son takes after him. "My hope is that he flourishes," he said. "His coordination and sense of balance are very good."

What’s Huang’s favorite dance?

"The samba!" During a break, Huang agreed to answer a few questions instead of peering over the shoulder of his friends playing a handheld video game. "Kicking a ball is not really me," he said. "I am happy when I dance. I am thinking about the music all the time."

And why the samba?

"Oh, it’s full of energy. And it allows me much more freedom to express myself."

And off he ran, bursting with the energy typical of any 8-year-old, except that it’s all focused on gyrating to a Latin drumbeat.