A square dancing gala to be held in downtown Beijing

A square dance performance team from Kaifeng in central China's Henan Province, poses for a picture ahead of a contest for a grand square-dancing gala to be held on September 7, 2017. [Photo: provided to China Plus]

A square-dancing gala will be held in early September in front of the Imperial Ancestral Temple in downtown Beijing.

According to the China Urban-Rural Health Management Committee, a co-organizer of the gala, their aim is to promote square dancing and to raise awareness for women's health issues.

Yu Yang has more.

Square-dancing has developed as a positive form of physical exercise. Chinese square-dancing generally involves groups of older women who dance at their leisure in open spaces to loud music.

By contrast, the upcoming gala is a much more formal activity.

Gao Jun is the director of the China Urban-rural Health Management Committee.

"Our gala isn't merely composed of the old ladies' square dances. It involves professional staff. Some have experience in dance choreography. Experts, coaches and instructors will also join and give guidance in order to help promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Everyone involved will share their knowledge about health and their passion for the sport. "

The committee has already begun selecting dance teams from all over the country. Since June, contests have been held in 10 provinces, including Shaanxi, Shandong and Henan. A total of 15 teams will be chosen to finally perform at the gala.

Gao's organization has also set up an organizing committee to be in charge of the gala's planning, organizing and selection processes. Liang Zi is from the organizing committee. He explains why they want the gala to take place in the Chinese capital.

"Primarily, we thought that if we chose Beijing, the most representative place in our country to hold such an activity, it might have a much bigger influence and lead to increased public participation. So this location is believed to have the power and appeal to attract more people."

The committee and a Chinese newspaper "Life Times" have co-sponsored this gala and wanted it to take place on September 7.

Life Times has been focusing on square dancing for a long time and has been providing healthy ways to learn it.

Ding Wenjun is the deputy head and executive chief editor of Life Times.

According to her, 70 to 80 percent of the square dancing participants are women.

"In fact, square dance is not just a sport, but also a channel for social communication. Through participating in square dancing, women can exercise, relax and communicate with each other. We want to hold a square dance gala in the hope that it can encourage more women to take part in this activity and pay more attention to their health. It's a way to enrich their lives upon their retirement."

The New England Journal of Medicine - one of the leading medical journals in the U.S., shows that dancing helps prevent both Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. Vascular dementia is the 2nd most common form of dementia after Alzheimer's disease.

As Chinese women develop their enthusiasm for square dancing, they enjoy the health benefits as well. Liang Zi disclosed that the September gala would not only be a delightful experience for dancers but also a visual feast.

"The gala is quite diversified because we separate the square dances into different series. One series will focus on movements and steps. Yoga and our traditional martial arts such as Tai Chi, will also be included in the gala."

The co-sponsors added that they hope they could make good use of their professional health knowledge and authentic media branding to make square dancing a more popular sport among Chinese people.