On a stage covered in artificial snow, shirtless male dancers in hanfu-style skirts perform backflips and splits before a roaring crowd. Mid-routine, one dancer steps forward and gestures for louder applause, then removes another layer of his skirt.

The scene is from “Sighing for the Spring Breeze,” the latest touring production by Male Dog Theatre, an all-male Chinese dance troupe whose videos have flooded social media in recent months. And the clip alone drew more than 560,000 likes on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok. 

Another viral caption gave viewers an easy shorthand: China’s “Magic Mike,” referring to the popular film franchise about male strippers. 

That comparison has helped turn the production into both a box office hit and a flashpoint for debate over where popular dance ends and sexually suggestive spectacle begins.

Since February 2025, two productions by the troupe have generated more than 100 million yuan ($14 million) in ticket sales and toured more than 800 shows nationwide, according to founder Ge Junyi. “Sighing for the Spring Breeze” is already booked through September.

Women account for 83% of viewers watching videos of “Sighing for the Spring Breeze” on Douyin, and nearly half are ages 31 to 40, according to data analytics platform Newrank. By late May, videos of the show had accumulated 1.46 billion views.

Popular clips show older women waving cards handed out by dancers that grant holders a one-on-one photo opportunity after the show. Domestic media have also reported that a woman brought her 80-year-old mother to a performance.

Ge, who began training in dance at age 5 and was once a principal dancer with the troupe of internationally renowned choreographer Yang Liping, has been explicit about the formula. 

In an April interview, he said the troupe wanted the show to be “sexy,” “powerful” and “full of hormones” because that kind of content travels well online. He has described the troupe’s name as a reference to loyalty, courage and protection, though he said in a recent livestream that it would be changed in July as the troupe seeks to expand.

For Ge, the attention is also a way to make dance pay. In a June interview, he said many Chinese dancers train rigorously from childhood but still earn only 3,000 yuan to 4,000 yuan a month, even after joining major dance companies.

At Male Dog Theatre, he said, the troupe’s more than 50 dancers earn an average of 30,000 yuan to 40,000 yuan a month, with top earners making up to 100,000 yuan. Members also run personal social media accounts, and some host livestream sales sessions.

In recent years, Chinese brands, tourist sites and local governments have used attractive male performers to sell coconut drinks, theme park tickets, rural tourism and local specialties. The strategy has often worked commercially, but it has also drawn criticism for relying on cabian, or “skirting the edge” — sexually suggestive material designed to attract views without clearly violating platform rules.

In early June, the state-run People’s Daily appeared to warn in a commentary that some viral performances and tourist attractions were relying on “flirtatious interactions,” saying such audience engagement should remain “appropriate for all ages.”

The commentary did not name Male Dog Theatre, but many social media users believed its references pointed to the troupe, whose viral clips show dancers performing close to audience members, holding their hands and mimicking hand-kiss gestures.

Ge rejects the suggestion that the performances are vulgar. “Dance is an art of the body,” he has said, arguing that healthy, well-trained physiques should not be treated as obscene. He has also said the troupe’s dancers go to the gym as soon as they arrive in a new city, before heading to the theater for rehearsals.

“No man in real life would show me this, but a stranger will,” one popular Douyin comment read. “I only know that he’s not cheating me out of money or emotions. This isn’t ‘skirting the edge.’ It’s bringing warmth to ordinary people.”

Another highly liked comment put it more bluntly: “He’s actually quite flirtatious in his movements, but it never feels vulgar.” 

Editor: Apurva. 

(Header image: Fan-shared photos from “Sighing for the Spring Breeze.” From Xiaohongshu)