Communist Party Clamps Down on China’s Gyrating Grannies

Elderly Chinese street dancers will have to choose from a tightly controlled repertoire of Communist Party-approved moves, according to new rules. China’s Communist party has announced plans to clamp down on the “reckless” hordes of elderly dancers that have transformed the country’s once orderly parks and squares into a disco inferno. Millions of amateur dancers take to the streets of China’s cities each evening to engage in wildly popular sessions of “square dancing”. However, following a growing number of complaints about noise pollution and congested pavements, Beijing has decided to act. News rules are being drawn up to regulate where square dancing can take place, at what time and — crucially — at what volume. Meanwhile an “expert panel” has been created to devise a menu of 12 state-sanctioned dance routines that China’s grandma groovers will be allowed to perform. “Square dancing represents the collective aspect of Chinese culture, but now it seems that the overenthusiasm of participants has dealt it a harmful blow with disputes over noise and venues. So we have to guide it with national standards and regulations,” Liu Guoyong, the sports official who leads China’s “mass fitness department” told state media. Wang Guangcheng, a fitness expert who is leading the regulatory panel, said the rules were essential. “All the negative comments on square-dancing are about reckless practicing without caring about the public benefits. The unified drills will help keep the dancing on the right track where they can be performed in a socially responsible way.”

Source/more: The Telegraph

David Wingate is an elder law attorney in Frederick and Montgomery Counties, Maryland. The law practice includes Wills, Power of Attorneys, Trusts, Asset Protection and Medicaid (Medical Assistance.)