Grannies:Dancing in the Square

Music rises at 7.30 a.m. over the pedestrian patch in Jiangbei District of Chongqing in southwestern China. Led by 60-year-old Li Kaibi， some 80 “grannies” begin their day dancing in the square. The term “square dancing” is generally used to describe a large group of people dancing the same steps to the accompaniment of loud music. But here， the music is “proper，” not loud， and everyone wears a wireless earphone. “We try not to annoy the neighborhood，” explains Li.

Dance in Vogue

Over the last few years， large group dancing has become popular across China’s urban and rural areas. The majority of dancers are silver-haired women， with a good sprinkling of the middle-aged.

As always， pop songs are iconic of the era， and so are the forms of dancing as a way of exercise. In rural China， during the 1950s and ‘60s， for instance， the most popular dance was yangko. During the 1980s and‘90s when China began to implement the reform and opening-up policies， ballroom dancing became the favorite of ordinary dancers. Today， China is dominated by square dance， especially after the popularity of Little Apple by Chopstick Brothers.

Statistics show that in China， the population of square-dance fans is more than 100 million， 70 percent of whom are over 45 years old. As forecast， the number of citizens aged 60 and above will touch 240 million by 2020， accounting for some 16 percent of the country’s population； which means， more senior citizens would be joining in the graying group of square dancers.

Today， square dancing has gone global. Over the last two years， news of Chinese grannies seen group dancing in public open spaces abroad， such as the square of the Louvre Museum in Paris and a park in New York City， was not rare. This August， an American netizen tweeted a photo of three Chinese ladies leading a big group of dancers in a New Jersey square， triggering media attention at home and abroad. Some joked that the dancers were “outputting”Chinese culture while others assumed that“a small step of these dancers means a great leap-forward for their country.”

Square dancing has turned out to be a phenomenon， culturally and socially.

Huang Yongjun， associate professor at the Faculty of Public Administration， Hunan Normal University， spent three years tracing square dancing. “It’s about aging， empty nests， and public space， among other things，” Huang observed.

The growing senior population will change the world in many ways， including patterns of social power， group culture， and demands. “The silver-haired are so enthusiastic about square dancing because it can feed their dual needs，” explains Huang.“Square dancing works mainly in two ways. On the one hand， it is a good choice for outdoor exercisers. Most people like to do exercise， yet it’s hard to find sufficient space， funds， and other conditions. Square dancing provides an excellent platform. On the other hand， it is a great means of social contact. More parents are plagued by empty nests， and such families are lonely， isolated， and left in oblivion.” To certain extent， square dancing is quasi-collective， offering a platform， both social and public， to minimize and bridge their “broken feelings.”

Confrontations

Over the last few years， the rise of square dancing in China has aroused great interest among senior citizens， grannies in particular， bringing along endurance contests between dancers and non-dancers as well as the old and the young due to the noise and disturbance from earsplitting music and gatherings of tens， or even a hundred of dancers. Square dancing seems to be “Rolling in the Deep” through “fights”between the middle-aged and silver-haired dancers who want to keep fit and a public which can hardly endure such “chaos.”

Socialists see it as a “scramble” for city space. Luo Xiaoming， a specialist in culture from Shanghai University， pointed out that large-scale urbanization has shrunk the space for public activities. “The senior group of those who want to exercise and have social contact – rather than go to the movie hall or shopping center – has come to ‘occupy’ a small public space or the open air in front of shopping centers. That’s why many disputes occur in living quarters or on the streets.”

Caroline Chen， a specialist in environmental projects from the University of California， Berkeley， holds that square dancing， despite its various strengths， has caused conflicts. It goes against the growing aspiration for a city life with surroundings that are quieter and less noisy， especially these days when spaces for public use keep shrinking due to rapid increase in population. “As a thriving community culture， square dancing is facing challenges，”in Chen’s view. “A modern concept about urban lifestyle is taking shape.”

As it has paced up its urbanization， China will see a massive population in urban areas， posing questions about awareness of limits to individual freedom in public spaces. “Lack of awareness of a code of conduct in public spaces is commonly amongst not only square dancers but also the general public，” comments Zhang Jie， associate professor of sociology from Nanjing Aeronau- tics and Astronautics University. “Hopefully the dispute over square dancing can help enhance people’s ability to communicate with mutual respect in public spaces.”

The issue of public disturbance from square dancing cannot be addressed without self-discipline of the dancers along with guidance from the authorities concerned and better projects for public space in urban China.

To face down the challenge， this September， several Chinese bodies， including the Ministry of Culture， the General Administration of Sport of China （GAS）， the Ministry of Civil Affairs， and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development， jointly issued a notification on providing convenient dance venues for local residents and bringing square dance into the basic social governance system. The notification was taken as another campaign by the authorities to “standardize” square dancing after GAS’s recommendation in March of a standard version of square dance. The dance being taken into the basic social governance system indicates the importance attached to the issue of disputes over venue and public order at a higher level.

“Square dancing mirrors the collectiveness of Chinese culture，” remarks Liu Guoyong， director of the Mass Sport Division of GAS. “However， the excessive enthusiasm of dancers has given rise to concerns over noise in public spaces， which should be guided and regulated by the government.”

“The issues are not about square dancing itself，” illustrates Li Guoxin， professor from Peking University and director of the Expert Committee on the Construction of Public Cultural Service System. “It’s about common contradictions and issues at a deeper level relating to a public cultural service system in China， which calls for appropriate solutions.”