From exercise to lifestyle

Retired workers turn to contemporary dance to regain a sense of youthful vigor

As a contemporary dancer, retired worker Peng Huanru feels she is young again on the stage. The 60-year-old is one of the 35 members of the Dama Contemporary Dance Troupe organized by the cultural center of Beijing's Chaoyang district in June. The average age of the dance group is 57. Their first public debut at the opening of the second Beijing International Contemporary Dance Festival on Aug 24 was a huge hit. The members started to dance as a way to exercise in their spare time, but dancing soon became a bigger part of their life. Peng said she knew nothing about contemporary dance before. "Practicing twice a week is tiring, and it is hard for me to crawl and roll on the ground," she said. "However, dancing makes me feel confident and beautiful. Now I feel I'm a real star."