SHANGHAI: In a sparkling white cap and oversized sunglasses, 55-year-old retiree Zhang Yongli and dozens of neighbours liven up a Shanghai park by doing the jitterbug, part of a public dance craze that has become China's national pastime.Every day, an estimated more than 100 million people - dubbed "dancing aunties" as they are primarily older women - take over squares and parks to tango, waltz, and grind out everything from flamenco to Chinese traditional dance.Complaints over speakers blaring late at night have ensued, and even physical brawls pitting aunties against others vying for park turf.But toes are tapping to an ever-quickening beat as "square dancing" - as it is known in China - booms.Teams are competing in dance-offs featuring thousands of contestants, while a thriving market of dance-related paraphernalia and mobile apps catches the attention of the business world.Even the government has jumped on the bandwagon to extol the health benefits."Square dancing happens … [Read more...] about Forever young: China’s ‘dancing aunties’ kick up their heels
60s dance moves
He was paralyzed from the chest down. But he got obsessed with dancing at his friend’s wedding
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By Donovan Vincent Feature Writer Sat., May 26, 2018 Chris Rice’s goal began with a casual remark from his stepmother. Rice, who lives in Keswick, Ont., was talking on the phone with his dad in 2016. Scott was on speaker phone when Rice’s stepmom, chimed in with a strange comment. “Oh, so I hear you’re going to dance at Kate’s wedding,” she said, referring to his best friend from high school, Kate Jollymore, who was planning her wedding for the following year. It’s unclear how the rumour about Rice started, but his stepmother told him it was circulating in Bridgetown, N.S., where Rice grew up and where his dad still lived. “I told her that’s crazy talk,” Rice says. After all, everyone back home knew he was paralyzed from the chest down, a result of a diving accident in 2012. Article Continued Below But it got him thinking. The accident that changed his life happened on a warm weekend afternoon … [Read more...] about He was paralyzed from the chest down. But he got obsessed with dancing at his friend’s wedding
Dance music returns to Toronto beaches this summer after almost getting flooded and regulated out of existence in 2017
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By Ben Rayner Pop Music Critic Fri., May 18, 2018 Dance music is coming back to Toronto’s beaches this summer after a shakey — and somewhat waterlogged — 2017 and there’s a renewed sense of optimism in the air along with the beats. This Sunday, the Electric Island electronic-music series returns to its longtime home at Hanlan’s Point on the Toronto Islands after spending most of last year nowhere near an actual island at all, while June 3 will see Promise Cherry Beach Sundays back on the beach for a full season instead of the paltry two events it managed last summer — with an officially ordained 11 p.m. curfew and a liquor licence, to boot. It’s not a bad double-bounce back for two of the city’s longest-running and most beloved dance events, and also reassuring evidence that Toronto isn’t really the “no fun” city it’s often made out to be. Both Electric Island and Cherry Beach Sundays … [Read more...] about Dance music returns to Toronto beaches this summer after almost getting flooded and regulated out of existence in 2017
Jakarta’s Namarina Ballet Company Dances for Its Future
Jakarta. One of Indonesia's few semi-professional ballet companies, Namarina Youth Dance, or NYD, presented a dazzling showcase titled "Dancing for the Future" to a full-house audience at Goethe Haus in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Sunday (22/04). The show incorporated three generations of dancers from a company that has carried the torch for serious ballet in Indonesia since 2006. This was the sixth show held by NYD’s DanceScape, that has been responsible for a series of artistic, educational and collaborative programs. The previous DanceScape event was "Mari Menari" (Let's Dance), a short dance workshop for schoolchildren held with Kompas Gramedia and Bentara Budaya Jakarta in 2016. NYD itself was established in 2006 when Namarina — the dance academy — celebrated its 50th anniversary. Artistic director and school principal Maya Tamara said NYD is expected to be a fully professional company by 2025. Dancing for the Future communicated that goal. Its sub-title, … [Read more...] about Jakarta’s Namarina Ballet Company Dances for Its Future
Idols on the move for Comic Con
Also coming to town is the J-pop idol festival, which marks its first overseas experience by flying in Akishibu Project, Lovely Doll, Manekikecak, Milcs Honmono, Necopla, Papirosier, Take Have Fun and NGT48 as well as JKT48, an overseas sister group of AKB48 from Jakarta in Indonesia, and Thailand’s BNK48. Akishibu Project was formed by ex-BiS member Ichigo Rinahamu with the aim of connecting the male-focused Akihabara culture with the female-focused Shibuya culture. The fusion idol group will shortly make its debut on King Records with the recruitment of four new members. Lovely Doll is very popular not least for their cute faces and powerful performances. Known affectionately as “Love-Doru”, the idol group released their debut single in 2014 on Nippon Crown Music and have since hit the charts with “Yoakemae, Nijigasasu” and “Hikari no Symphony”. Manekikecak, which was formed with the goal of appearing on the famous Japanese TV programme … [Read more...] about Idols on the move for Comic Con