A team of senior dancers perform in Datong, North China's Shanxi province, on Oct 9, 2018. （Photo/Xinhua)
You might have watched Chinese dancing aunties rule the streets, parks and plazas across the country, waving hands to the blaring of catchy pop and folk music. But have you ever noticed these dances are now being fueled by technologies?
That's exactly the latest booming trend among the middle-aged and elderly dancing communities in China.
An estimated 80 million to 100 million Chinese－mainly middle-aged and senior females－are now embracing the square dance, which offers a convenient way for social networking and exercise, said a report by Economist Corporate Network. And those dancing aunties' enthusiasm reportedly will create a market worth more than 1 trillion yuan ($146 billion) in the near future.
"The phenomenon of plaza dance aerobics is notable for its ability to induce a usually sedentary, older component of China's population to regularly exercise," the corporate noted in the report.
The report said public dancing has proven a hit with businesses and investors too, as plaza dancers need athletic wear and shoes, access to trending music and tutorials as well.
Beijing-based Tangdou Square Dance is one of the many apps that serve as digital platforms for the plaza dancing community.
The app particularly caters to those middle-aged and elderly dancing aunties living a more leisurely life and liking dancing in plazas and public places during their spare time. Its offerings feature streaming videos of the latest dancing styles and music, funny life stories, as well as entertainment news and articles.
Zhang Yuan, founder and CEO of Tangdou, said instead of touted as kind of a subculture in the internet age, the increasingly growing tech-savvy dancing aunties will create a positive strong culture in the future.
"With the increasing number of silver-haired generation and the aging trend in China, we aim to build an entertainment community platform through providing high-quality content and services, creating a spiritual home to help more seniors live well and gracefully," Zhang said.
