The "Square Dance Goddesses" during their training at the No. 1 Cultural Center of Dongcheng District, Beijing. (Photo : Women of China)
After showing their "Oldies but Goodies" skills by dancing the classic Square Dance in the 2015 Spring Festival Gala of the nation's broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV), five middle-aged women became China's instant celebrities.
According to a report by Women of China, four of the dancers named Song Shengping, Yue Hongjing, Wang Jieli and Zhang Xiaonong recently appeared in the variety show "Day Day Up," a popular Chinese talk show broadcast on the Hunan Television, China's second most-watched television channel.
The square dancers, aged 50 to 69 years old, left the audience in awe of their dancing talents and proved that age doesn't matter when it comes to dancing.
An audience said that "they are not square dance 'Dama' (middle-aged women), but square dance goddesses."
But the dancing skills of these "Square Dance Goddesses" are not just limited to square dancing, as they also know different kinds of dance including ballet.
Bai Ying, head of the Dongcheng District's Cultural Center where the senior women used to practice, admired the women's skills as well as their perseverance.
"Due to bone loss, many of them incur injuries in arms, waists and knees. Due to water on the knee, some find it difficult to bend down. Despite these difficulties, they keep at it, saying that 'it is unbearable if I don't dance,'" Bai said said.
