The People's Dance

The Power and Politics of Guangchang Wu

Rose Martin, Ruohan Chen

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9789811591655
• eBook ISBN: 9789811591662
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Teaching Arts & Humanities

This book presents an analysis of how the grassroots movement of Guangchang Wu or 'square dance' in China has become a national phenomenon. Through oral narratives offering rich descriptions of lived encounters, the experiences of those involved in leading, organizing, teaching and learning Guangchang Wu are revealed. Through these narratives, this book serves to understand the leadership practices occurring and how this dance practice is deeply rooted in the complexities of China's rapid economic development, acceleration of urbanisation, and the desire for a healthier and more communal lifestyle.

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2020

R. Martin, R. ChenThe People’s DanceCritical Studies in Dance Leadership and Inclusionhttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9166-2_1

Begin Abstract

1. Introducing the People’s Dance

Rose Martin¹ and Ruohan Chen²

(1)

Department of Teacher Education, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

(2)

Dance Studies, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Rose Martin

Email: [email protected]

Abstract

Across the People’s Republic of China (PRC), millions of people go to public squares, parks, and plazas after dinner, and dance. The sheer number of people who engage in this public on mass dance practice makes guangchang wu a unique phenomenon, which is often cited as China’s ‘community dance’. Within this chapter, we set the scene to disrupt this narrative. Rather, we argue that while guangchang wu is something many engage with for health and social reasons, there is a significant and growing demand and desire for it to be physically challenging and competitive, with choreographic practices and techniques that are refined and tailored to the groups that engage with the practice. Coupled with this, we assert that guangchang wu is in line with a dominant agenda encouraged by the PRC, an agenda that features displays of national identity and mega-narratives of the State—which in turn can be viewed as characteristics of totalitarian aesthetics and state control. To explore the intersecting vectors of locus, culture, politics, society, and dance related to the guangchang wu context, we selected to take a multi-sited ethnographic approach towards the topic, leading to rich narratives, and this is unpacked within this introductory chapter.

Keywords

Guangchang wuMulti-sited ethnographyNarrativesPeople’s Republic of China

End Abstract

I stood back for a moment thinking, “should I join in? Am I allowed to join in?”. It was getting too cold to just stand there and watch the group dance, so I slipped into the back row, hoping no one would notice, but they did. The two women immediately in front of me made their steps a bit bigger travelling apart from each other, making space for me to move in-between them. The music blasted from a single speaker perched on a plastic crate at the front of the dancing group who filled an open concrete space between a main road and shops beneath high rise apartment blocks, offices and hotels. The music was what initially caught my attention and led me to walk toward the group, it was at a pitch that just started to scratch into your ears. The cacophony of street noise – traffic, families, shops – buzzed alongside the song that I did not understand the lyrics to yet felt compelled to move to. The two women who danced either side of me occasionally gave me small smiles of encouragement and waved their hands to indicate that I should move forward further into the group. We took side steps and the occasional turn, arms moving in sweeping gestures, repeating the same phrase of steps multiple times until the song finished. With the dance over, the woman to my right took my hand in both of hers, she said something quickly in Mandarin that I had no chance of catching, but she seemed excited. It was freezing this evening in Lanzhou (兰州), I was not nearly prepared enough for the cold, but the few minutes of dancing warmed me – physically and emotionally.

Rose—26 November 2019, Lanzhou.

Across the People’s Republic of China (PRC) millions of people go to public squares, parks, and plazas after dinner, and dance. Clusters of people fill spaces in front of shopping malls and apartment buildings. Sound systems compete with each other, and movements are as diverse as the people dancing them. Parks buzz with a moving energy once the sun goes down, and any available public space becomes a possible location for dancing to emerge. This public dance practice of guangchang wu (广场舞), or what is referred to in English as ‘public square dance’ or simply ‘square dance’, is frequently associated with middle-aged and retired women, referred to as ‘dancing grannies’ or ‘big mamas’ (Mao, 2018; Wang, 2015). However, alongside such associations, guangchang wu in China has been rapidly morphing and changing in response to the contemporary context and the unique political landscape of the PRC (Fig. 1.1).

Fig. 1.1

Dancers practicing in Rendinghu Park, Xicheng District, Beijing, China

Younger generations of dancers are now joining in, with the dance practice no longer solely reserved for those who are retired. Guangchang wu competitions are flourishing (Xinhua News Agency, 16 July 2019), and social media has led to some guangchang wu teachers being Youku-Tudou (优酷土豆网), Tangdou (糖豆) and Tiaotiao ¹ (跳跳舞蹈) superstars. The dances performed are becoming more varied, and a diversity of teaching and learning strategies are occurring. Guangchang wu is also shifting spaces and is being practiced and performed in dance studios, community halls, and living rooms, while also continuing to be shared in urban public spaces. Coupled with such changes, guangchang wu has received increased attention from the Chinese government and commercial sectors. Through policy support and economic agendas, guangchang wu has become an influential cultural force in China, and one that is worth exploring in relation to its history, grassroots practices, and leadership to further understand how a dance that is considered for the people and by the people, can wield such power.

Groups of people dancing in public space such as squares, parks, and streets, is not necessarily an unusual sight in China (Seetoo & Zou, 2016). However, it is the sheer number of people who engage in this public on mass dance practice that makes guangchang wu special. While the exact number of people who dance guangchang wu is challenging to ascertain, information gleaned from media reports and policy documents suggests that there are over 100 million guangchang wu dancers in China (Li, Wang, & Qiu, 2017). There are also activities such as on mass multi-city guanchang wu events that have been organized with the purpose of setting world records, such as the gathering of 50,0085 guangchang wu dancers in 14 Chinese cities in November 2016 (Li, 2016). Along with the impressive number of participants, it is also the vigour that the practice has been embraced by both the people of China and the Chinese government that makes it worthy of examination.

There has been some discussion that guangchang wu differs to professional artistic performances that demand certain dance techniques and choreographic intentions (Mao, 2018; Yu, 2017). At the same time there is research that highlights hierarchy within guangchang wu dance groups, with many groups developing in ways that mimic professional dance practices (Seetoo & Zou, 2016). While there are some links made within existing guangchang wu scholarship about the practice being deeply associated with local government mandates and the policies of the Communist Party of China (CPC) (Zhou, 2014), there seems to be a reluctance to connect this practice with discussions of political agendas and ideologies in a critical manner. Rather, a narrative that is often delivered about this dance practice is that participants congregate mostly for fitness and social reasons, with many scholars stating that guangchang wu is often seen as being synonymous with community dance (Du, Chen, & Huang, 2016; Lu, 2016; Zhang & Wen, 2016).

Within this text we, the authors—Rose and Ruohan—seek to disrupt this narrative where guangchang wu is viewed as merely a health and wellbeing activity, and the Chinese ‘equivalent’ of western practices of community dance. Rather, in this book we argue that while guangchang wu is something many engage with for health and social reasons, there is a growing demand and desire for it to be physically challenging and competitive, with choreographic practices and techniques that are refined and tailored to the groups that engage with the practice. Coupled with this, we assert that guangchang wu is in line with dominant agendas and policies from the PRC that feature displays of national identity and mega-narratives of the state (Golomstock, 1990; Makiya, 2011; Toepfer, 2019). Nationalistic viewpoints, events, and activities that embody political ideological discourses are not unusual in China, nor are they unique in other nation state contexts. Examples of how guangchang wu is a practice intrinsically tied to the political standpoints of the PRC have been particularly evident throughout 2019 as part of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the PRC. Despite Chinese Maoist ideology being something that is perceived to be in the distant past, it can be seen that through guangchang wu the spirit and method of this ideology has not necessarily faded under the CPC and the rapid contemporary shifts in China.

Through the stories shared in this book, and a drawing together of existing scholarship and policy, we unpack the plurality of meanings of what guangchang wu is today within contemporary Chinese society. We investigate how public spaces in China are locations not only for the performance of guangchang wu, but also locations for political ideals to be communicated. Through this analysis it can be observed that guangchang wu allows space for a hybridization of dance practices and pedagogies, Chinese government ideologies, accelerated urbanization, consumerism, and contemporaneity to occur. We see that guangchang wu is complex, and the dance practice is deeply tied to various aspects of the lives of those who dance it.

Methodological Considerations in Researching Guangchang Wu

We, Rose, and Ruohan, have very different positions as the researchers and writers of this book. In this research Rose is very much the ‘outsider’ to the research context, as she comes from New Zealand, now lives in Norway, and speaks no Mandarin. While Rose has extensive experience as a dancer, teacher, and researcher around the world, this was her first experience of gathering in depth interviews in a Chinese context. This is where Rose relied on Ruohan for advice and understanding of the context and Ruohan’s awareness of how the research was situated culturally and politically. Ruohan could be viewed as an ‘insider’ to the research context in the sense that while she is now based in New Zealand, she is from China, has spent most of her life living, working, and studying in China, and speaks Mandarin as her first language. As a dancer and dance researcher Ruohan had particular insights to the cultural context and dance landscape of China that Rose does not, and this helped to guide Rose on her journey in t...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Front Matter
• 1. Introducing the People’s Dance
• 2. Urbanization, an Ageing Population, and Reform and Opening-up: The Socio-Political Context for Guangchang Wu
• 3. From Folk to on Mass Dance Practices: The Emergence of Guangchang Wu
• 4. Step, Hop, Shuffle: Artistic Practices of Guangchang Wu
• 5. The Collective, the Virtual, and the Chance: Teaching and Learning Guangchang Wu
• 6. The Inner Circle and the Outer Circle: Administration and Leadership of Guangchang Wu
• 7. Dance for the People: Community, Visibility and Guangchang Wu
• 8. Dancing the Politics of Harmony: The Impact of Guangchang Wu
• 9. Dancing into Hybridization: The Future of Guangchang Wu
• Back Matter