Dancing through time

Dancers from Yunnan province perform at the Galaxy Awards competition that honors community art in Qingdao, Shandong province. Provided to China Daily

China News Service reported in August that a group of Chinese immigrants in New York were dancing in public with a stereo that was so loud that it attracted the attention of police. Beijing Youth Daily reported a case in Shandong province where a man fired a gun and unleashed his dogs to dispel a dance group who danced late into the night in early November.

But square dances, especially those with strong cultural ties, are worthy of public appreciation.

"It dates back to the traditional folk dances, it's a natural invention," says Ming Wenjun, vice-president of Beijing Dance Academy. Ming is a specialist in folk dance research and was on the judging panel of the Galaxy Awards.

"They start as a ceremony related to the group's belief, cultural lore, and are part of educating the group on manners and behavior," Ming says.

"These functions of the dances weaken with urbanization, but the dances remain a very important part of our culture."

Square dancing cannot be properly categorized because it is a mixture of styles and themes. It's engaging, entertaining and distinctly characteristic of one's cultural upbringing.

"(In the Galaxy Awards) the square dances are representative of a group's cultural identity," Ming says. "You see a soft whip, or a longevity drum, or an umbrella prop, you immediately know the dancer's hometown."

"The square dance is fun and easy for the dancers themselves. People become very invested in it," Ming says.

And most importantly, the dance brings the dancers knowledge of themselves. "The moves are the ritual that gives us Chinese the sense of order and human relations," Ming says. "Questions of who we are, and why we Chinese cling to our home, are answered here."

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