Strictly ballroom

Dancing is a popular pastime for many middle-aged and elderly people, and now in Shanghai many are spending large sums of money on classes that give them the chance to perform before a live audience

Dancing is one of the most popular public leisure activities in China.

Be it dawn or dusk, along the Bund or on the pedestrian walkway of Nanjing Road in Shanghai, one can always find groups of middle-aged and elderly people moving their bodies to the sound of music.

While most public square dancers in Shanghai spend conservative amounts of money to buy items such as shoes, costumes, props and makeup, a small group of them have been shelling out tens of thousands of yuan to take their hobby to the next level: professional training and performing on stage.

There are now more than 300 clubs in the city that cater to wealthy enthusiasts who would prefer to stay out of the public eye. At these clubs, participants learn proper techniques from professional dancers who also help to design a choreographed routine for their stage performances.

Yarose Dance & Art Studios, in the heart of the Gubei residential community, opened its 37 Days program in 2015. Participants pay 37,000 yuan ($5,400; 4,825 euros; ￡4,225) to enter the program. The fee includes dance classes, personal tutoring, makeup, costumes and rental of theater space, which makes up the bulk of the cost.

In contrast, a survey by The Paper found that those who dance regularly in public squares spend between 300 yuan and 500 yuan a year on their hobby.

Those who sign up for the 37 Days program attend 36 training sessions - four times a week for nine weeks - before taking part in a final rehearsal in the 37th session. Following this rehearsal, participants get to showcase what they have learned in a theater. The performance is open to the public.

Yarose, founded by Jenny Yao in 2006, held the first 37 Days gala performance at the Shanghai Grand Theatre last year. Those who took to the stage to perform included grandmothers, housewives and businesspeople.

Yao, who learned to dance when she was 4, studied international accounting when she was in college. After university graduation, she went to work for a series of international companies, including KPMG and LVMH, before quitting the corporate world in 2006 to pursue dancing.

She has since developed "legend dancing", an original method of dance that she says combines movements of Chinese classical dance with a spiritual element. Dance can transform a person, both inside and out, and allow them to find balance and serenity in life, she says.

"People say it takes 28 days for a new habit to take root. It usually takes two to three months before people start to realize how dance is transforming their lives," she says, referring to the rationale behind the duration of the program.

The performance for the third and latest edition of the 37 Days program was to be held on June 8 at the Mixing Room at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. Among the scheduled participants was Connie Pan, a businesswoman who has two companies in Guangzhou and Shanghai that sell the Chinese liquor brand Moutai.

Pan says it was fate that brought dance into her life, noting that she was only interested in finding more after chancing upon the dance studio one day. After just four sessions, she fell in love with the beauty behind dance, she says.

With a fellow member of the studio, Pan was to perform a Broadway-style dance to the music of the Academy Award-winning film La La Land. Pan says she has focused on putting on a good performance and has been going to the gym for up to three hours every day.

"I like dances that have a strong rhythm and sense of power. I have always identified myself as a weightlifting tomboy.

"Learning to dance has helped me discover a new side of myself that I was never aware of. I am very much immersed in the beauty of dance and music."

Ma Yi'ao, 25, a dancer, choreographer and actor who graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy, is working with dancers to choreograph the performance in June.

"You cannot expect these women to have the same technique as a young dancer who has professional training," he says. "What I aspire to achieve is for them to present the beauty of their age and maturity. Dancing is also away for them to preserve their youthfulness."

Ma says his experience helping the program participants has been fulfilling because he finds great joy in helping ordinary people who know little about dance to take to the stage in just a few months. He emphasizes that one does not have to dance like Yang Liping, one of the most acclaimed dancers in China, to feel the pleasure it induces.

This year the acclaimed Shanghai Ballet Troupe also started to provide free classes to the public. These classes are held every two months, with only 50 slots available each time. The first class was held in February. The next will be this month.

Xin Lili, director of the company, says the goal of the initiative is to introduce the art of ballet to the wider public.

The class has been popular with the public. "It was so hard to enroll in this class," says Ye Shuping, 63, a retiree who was among the participants of the second class in April. "I had to continuously dial the hotline using three mobile phones."

Ye, a fitness enthusiast, says he practices yoga, enjoys swimming and has always been interested in ballet. During his class, he and other dance enthusiasts were coached by the company's principal dancer, Wu Husheng.

"The class helped me realize how difficult the ballet dancers' movement is," says a former schoolteacher surnamed Zeng.

"Now I understand what hardship dancers have to go through, and I have developed a respect for them."

zhangkun@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily Africa Weekly 06/09/2017 page16)