One of us
Huang, 53, shared how she came to be a lover of guangchangwu with the Global Times. One of her neighbors had invited her to have a try, and so she began dancing on the far edge of the group. However, her position made it difficult to see the lead dancer everyone models their moves on. "The lead dancer came over to me and asked whether I wanted to join them, and if she could help me correct my moves. She was very kind-hearted. I was very shy when I was dancing at the edge, but once I joined them and had a fixed position in the group, I felt like I had become one of them."
A fixed position is very important when it comes to a feeling of participation. Once you have one you are no longer a passenger or witness but a member of the group. Generally speaking, while group members tend to come and go, as some leave to join another group for a time and late-comers come in to take their place, the positions closest to the lead dancer or dance teacher are commonly taken by senior group members.
Clothing and accessories are also items that make a group feel close-knit. In some folk dance groups where hand held fans are part of the dance routine, groups will buy the same colored fans to differentiate them from other groups. Handkerchiefs and skirts for belly dancing are also often used. These specialized items also help identify one as a "serious dancer," which helps instill pride within the group as a whole.
This can lead to some interesting business opportunities. According to a report from news outlet Chutian Jinbao, one entrepreneur Zhang Qiang, managed to earn more than 10 million yuan ($1.6 million) a year by changing his family sports wear store from a wholesale store aimed at young people to an online store targeting a middle-aged demographic. According to Zhang a large amount of his revenue comes from members of these dance groups. "When one of them wears nice clothes, her fellow dancers want to wear it too. When everybody is wearing the same type of clothing, it creates a strong team atmosphere," said Zhang.
Leading role
For many groups, their leader is the dance leader that everyone bases their moves off of, while in some other groups, the leaders are the ones who have the right to reserve a dance area or have the ability to help the group take part in some performances or competitions.
The lead dancer holds special position in a group, but not every lead dancer is the leader of the group. Many lead dancers are retired music teachers or dancers with stage experience. They choreograph moves themselves or study moves from videos and then demonstrate these moves for other members to learn.
As guangchangwu becomes more popular and more types of professional dancers are needed, some younger professional dancers (some even in their 20s) have started to become full-time dance teachers. These teachers are hired by group organizers for around 2,000 to 3,000 yuan a month and usually spend their time teaching different groups throughout the day.
The China Square Dance Association, an organization founded in 2012, even offers certification courses for dance teachers and organizes nationwide competitions to gather China's thousands of dance groups together.
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