Under the sea

Jellyfish princesses’ underwater ballet

Tang Ying never expected that one day she would become a mermaid and even a jellyfish princess. But now the 22-year-old has moved away from her hometown to Tianjin to take on those roles.

Tang was elected “Jellyfish Ambassador” when the Future Jellyfish Pavilion opened at Tianjin Haichang Polar Ocean Park on Jan 1.

She appeared in the opening show with other ballerinas to perform a spectacular jellyfish dance.

Tens of thousands of jellyfish — 20 separate species — are on display at the park’s Future Jellyfish Pavilion. Colorful lighting enhances the graceful creatures’ beautiful, almost psychedelic, movements.

This provided the inspiration for Tang’s ballet performance.

She fell in love with swimming as a little girl and later became a professional swimmer, taking part in competitions. She later started work at the Ocean Park as a mermaid performer.

However, performing as a mermaid was something very new for her.

“Swimming doesn’t require expressions but performing requires countenance and motion,” Tang says.

She had butterflies when she gave her first performance as an underwater mermaid at the park, but soon lost her stage fright.

“When I saw children taking photos of me through the glass I felt a real sense of achievement,” she says.

She later went on to study dance and now she has become a dance mistress, teaching ballet to children.

Tang says: “Kids are the greatest motivation for my work. Whether as a mermaid or a jellyfish princess, I hope to convey an aesthetic feeling to children and inspire their desire to explore the ocean.”

PHOTOS BY YOU SIHANG / FOR CHINA DAILY Tang Ying performing in the jellyfish ballet. Every dancer’s costume featured an illuminated heart, an idea taken from the natural heart shape at the center of the aurelia jellyfish. The clothes of each dancer flashed, looking like jellyfish under...

The “jellyfish” team relax by the swimming pool at recess between training sessions.

Tang Ying, used to be a mermaid performer at the Tianjin Haichang Polar Ocean Park, is now a Jellyfish Ambassador and a ballet teacher.

Tang Ying practices the jellyfish ballet with her teammates.

Tang Ying (right) and her teammate in training.

Tens of thousands of jellyfish from 20 species are on display at the Future Jellyfish Pavilion in the Tianjin Haichang Polar Ocean Park, which inspired Tang Ying’s ballet.

Tang Ying gives out homebred jellyfish to children to take home.

Tang Ying has become a professional ballet mistress.