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Shanghai troupe leader brings ‘silent disco’ to granny line dancing

  • Line dancers, called ‘damas’, are common in many cities across China, but they have a reputation for being disruptive
  • One clever troupe leader turned to analogue technology to try and minimise the disruptions created by his 200-person group

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Elderly people dance in a park in Shanghai, China. Photo: Getty
Kevin McSpadden

Large groups of choreographed dancers, often called “damas”, with speakers blaring, a leader chanting and participants shouting and laughing, are a common sight in urban China’s public parks. 

But in Anting Town’s Old Street in Jiading District, in the northwestern part of Shanghai, passersby and commuters may double-take when they see a large group of residents primarily in their twilight years performing choreographed dances in apparent silence. 

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Little girl dozes off during dance performance in China

Little girl dozes off during dance performance in China

No, the damas have not simply memorised the steps; they are participating in a “silent disco” version of line dancing. 

According to Shanghai Daily, Dou Xiangxin, the leader of a 200-strong dance crew called “Jack”, named after his internet persona, was having tensions with local residents over the size and scale of his 200-person-strong troupe. Because the group is so large, the music has to be extremely loud so people in the back can dance to the beats, creating problems with people who live nearby. 

Thinking outside the box, Dou found a unique solution to the problem. On the advice of another group dancing leader, Shi Faming, he turned to analogue technology to solve the problem: an FM radio transmitter.

According to a video from Shanghai Daily, the transmitter accepts a mobile phone input so Dou can personalise the broadcast. Then the dancers tune in to the same FM station with their personal listening devices to synchronise the group. 

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