Cao Ying's world is one of beauty, elegance and grace.

But when the 47-year-old arrived in Atlanta in 1997 to join her husband, none of those infused her life.

A dancer, choreographer and teacher for more than 20 years, Cao Ying found herself struggling to settle in after her move from Chengdu in China's Sichuan province.

"It was very difficult," she says. "We lived in an apartment, and we only had one car. I walked everywhere."

Her first instinct was to give it all up and return to China with their daughter. But with the help of her husband, Fengsheng Chen, who had completed his studies and become a professional piano tuner and technician with the Georgia State School of Music, she began looking for a house with a basement where she could set up a dance studio.

Chen was also keen for his wife to stay on so that their daughter could get a better education here. She is now a student at Emory University's business school.

"She loves her work," Chen says of Cao Ying. "So we bought a house in Duluth and decorated the basement. We put [in] bars and mirrors."

The couple soon discovered that attracting business took more than credentials and a basement. Though Duluth is home to a substantial Chinese community, getting the parents of U.S.-born children to see the beauty and value of traditional Chinese folk dance wasn't easy.

"We began with three, four students, and we did lots of advertising" in the Chinese media, says Cao Ying.

She also made special efforts to meet people. The couple joined the National Association of Chinese Americans and the Chinese Business Association of Atlanta and began forging ties with the estimated 80,000-strong Chinese community in metro Atlanta.

A year later, she rented space in a building on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and moved her studio out of the basement of her home.

All along, there were plenty of expenses, but not much in terms of revenue. But her community involvement soon proved to be a major asset. Word of mouth spread about her studio, and students began signing up. She now has about 50 students of different ages.

An accomplished quick mask artist -- a skill that requires the performer to change masks in the blink of an eye -- Cao Ying herself began performing in addition to teaching.

She also choreographed elaborate dances that students performed at a dinner held recently to celebrate Asian/Pacific Islanders Heritage Month at which Gov. Sonny Perdue was the guest of honor.

Her ties with the Chinese Business Association of Atlanta are paying off as well. Through his association with the Woodruff Arts Center, association President Charley Jin introduced her last year to the center's "Celebrate Diversity Through the Arts" program, which landed her on the "Good Morning Atlanta" show on television.

"That's what I try to do," says Jin. "After the licenses and the classes, is [to] bring them to the next level."

The Cao Ying Dance School will soon celebrate its fourth anniversary with a big show, and like any business that takes itself seriously, Cao Ying has her own Web site.

The woman who wanted to make a U-turn five years ago is now dancing to a new tune.

"America's heart is very good," she says. "I like America now, because America is freedom."