Volunteers in Urumqi City plan to teach local Han residents a new rhythmic gymnastics dance with a strong Uygur flavor to encourage them to go outdoors more after the July 5 deadly riot, a local official told Xinhua on Wednesday.

The minute-long dance, which mingles traditional Uygur song and dance forms with modern rhythmic gymnastics, was designed to encourage people to get out of their houses and have more contact and communication with their neighbors, said Wang Chunliang, vice secretary of the China Communist Youth League Urumqi Committee.

"Many locals still prefer to stay at home after work because they feel safe there," he said. "We are trying to create conditions for them to do outdoor exercises with others.

"We hope frequent contacts and communication among residents would be helpful for them to recover from the shadow of the July 5incident," he added.

Wang said the specially choreographed dance would also provide Han people with an opportunity to know more about Uygur culture and traditions, which, Wang hoped, would "help boost ethnic unity."

More than 30 volunteers had learned the dance as of Tuesday. Wang said all the 1,000-plus volunteers in the city were expected to follow suit in the near future.

He said a pilot project would soon be launched in eight to 10 communities where volunteers would teach residents the dance.

"If things go well, we will extend the program to the whole city," Wang said.

"But we do not have a specific timetable because difficulties, such as safety concerns and a lack of enthusiasm, are expected."

Also due to safety concerns, the volunteers are advised to stay near their own community compounds and finish their activities before 11:00 PM.

Du Zhenyuan, 21, a local college student volunteer, said he found the dance "easy to learn and entertaining."

"I will teach my neighbors and I think they will like the idea," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency July 22, 2009)