Some decent dance halls have closed down, and others are either too old or too small, so just open their own. “Considering factors such as venue rent, geographical location, etc., we finally decided to open the ballroom in a commercial city.
Dancing men and women
After the ballroom opened, the boss sent messages to various WeChat groups of local ballroom dancing, and the number of visitors gradually increased.
Entering a dance hall is like traveling to another time and space
Entering a ballroom is like traveling to another time and space. People’s temperament and dress are different from those outside. Most of the men wear shirts, trousers and leather shoes. The shirts are neatly tucked into the trousers, and they keep their heads high when walking, maintaining the old-school confidence. The ladies wore colorful dresses and stepped on high heels. They had complete makeup and exquisite hairstyles. There were many necklaces and earrings, and there was a kind of elegance and sophistication of old ladies.
Men and women dancing in pairs in the ballroom
On the hundreds of square meters of dance floor, dozens of pairs of men and women wiggled and swayed in the dance music. In the dimly lit space, lights flashed over the head, and the pop dance music of the last century played in the stereo. It’s not so much a ballroom for middle-aged and old people, but more like a survivor of the 20th centuryBuild the last paradise in the trend of the times.
I asked the lady boss if some people are professional in dancing. The lady boss said: “Not professional. Dancing can change a person’s image and temperament. Look at how good their temperament is and how well they maintain their body. Look Can you tell them that they are 50 or 60 years old? It’s not like today’s young people with chests and hunches.”
Ladies mostly wear colorful skirts, which will open when they rotate
From popular golden tunes to ethnic styles to unfamiliar tunes, every capital in the dance hall is accompanied by rhythmic and dynamic drums. What I can hear are “The Stars of Last Night”, “Love Song 1990”, “I Don’t Understand the Darkness of Night” and “Your Eyes”. After the music starts, everyone can dance freely. Some are lyrical, some are cheerful, with different styles and different dance steps, the dancers are already familiar with it.
Women with complete makeup and exquisite hairstyle
In addition to the part where men and women dance together, there are also songs for singles to freely dance. Whenever Sun Yue’s “Happy Guide” is played, it is the climax of the ballroom. At this time, people no longer need a partner, nor are they bound to a fixed dance step, just immerse themselves in the music.
There is a black light dance music at the end of each session, which lasts about three or four minutes. At this time, the lights dimmed, leaving only a little faint light, the music became extremely soothing, and the dancers’ movements became smaller, and they swayed slowly, very romantic.
Black Lantern Dance Music Time
Tired of jumping, there is a bar at the door, red date tea, wolfberry tea, coffee, a few dollars for a cup. However, few people consume tea and beverages, and most of them take a thermos bottle to heat the water.
Compared with the dance halls I have been to, Minglehui has a richer set of settings and playing methods. There is a chess room and a mahjong room when you walk inside.
Dance Hall Bar
Chess and card room
The lady boss said, “We want to be more fun to attract more customers. Not only can we come here to dance, but we can also play billiards, chess, and spend dozens of dollars to play here for half a day.” Then she led me Visit the chess and card room, the wallpaper is pink, consistent with the decoration style of the ballroom, a little soft and ambiguous.
A person can also enjoy dancing
Although the ballroom is full of rivers and lakes, it is a formal ballroom. Half of the people who dance here have a fixed partner. Those without a partner can sit in their seats and wait for someone to invite. There are also a small number of people who choose not to dance, perhaps just to relax and listen to music, or they do not have a partner or invite others.
In the corner of the ballroom, there is a lady sitting alone in her seat, watching the people on the dance floor motionlessly. A man came over to invite her, but sheShook his head. I asked her why she didn’t dance, and she said to wait for someone close to her eye.
One night, I found Lao Zhou, who was dancing alone on the dance floor. He danced different steps from others. His movements were larger than others, and the rhythm of the dance steps was faster. It was more like a health exercise. dance. With a smile on his face, he shuttled among the couples of dancers, appearing more energetic and energetic than the others.
I was curious, so I went up and asked him why he was dancing alone. He said that his partner was not available today, so he jumped by himself. “I don’t need a dancing partner today, and I can enjoy dancing alone.” He twisted his body indignantly, ignoring the men and women holding hands beside him.
Long Zhou Dancing Alone
Lao Zhou’s hometown is in Hunan. When he was young, he was a qigong trainer. He came to Nanning from Hunan ten years ago to develop and changed his career to the construction industry. It was also after coming to Nanning that he liked dancing and spent six days a week in the dance hall. For him, dancing and Qigong can exercise the body, “I used to have a big belly, but now I have lost half of it.”
And dancing is more fun and relaxing, and it is also a kind of communication between people. “I’m old and can’t sit still. I want to dance when I see people dancing. I can move my muscles and get to know friends.” Lao Zhou had to run to the construction site during the day, facing the reinforced concrete, dusty. Driving to the dance hall after get off work in the evening, here is his comfort after a day of fatigue. “Come and dance for two hours every night, and then go home to sleep and sleep soundly.”
Lao Zhou’s dancing posture is not the same as others, a little clumsy
There are many grandpas dancing alone like this.
Different from Lao Zhou’s cheerful and relaxed random dance steps, Lao Liu was spinning and swaying in the ballroom alone with his arms open, stepping in tango dance steps, twisting and turning his head, flashing left and right, every movement was noble and elegant. He is tall, wearing a red shirt, black trousers, a meticulous tie and belt, and his black leather shoes are brighter than the other men on the scene. He seems to be attending a grand ball.
Lao Liu has his own regular dance partner. They dance in the same style and have a tacit understanding. They often dance together. But she was late today, so Lao Liu had to dance in the ballroom first.
Lao Liu in formal clothes dancing alone
For Lao Liu, going to the ballroom is a very ceremonial thing. It is not the same as the square dance. You can’t dress too casually. Lao Liu always brings dancing clothes to the backstage to change. Formal and decent clothes are the dignity of Tango. While Lao Zhou does not have so many rules in his clothes, dancing is just a way for him to relax and exercise. Whatever he wears during the day, he wears whatever he wears at night.
Lao Zhou used to dance square dance with friends, but then he didn’t go often. “The air in the square is not good, the street is dusty, and the humidity is heavy, which is bad for your health. After jumping in the dance hall, there is a contrast, and I never want to go to the square to dance.” Old Liu also has some friends who like to dance square dances. , But he himself is more repulsive. He doesn’t like the style of square dance, it is not elegant, and he cannot accept the open-air street environment. There are professional lighting and sound in the ballroom, and the smooth floor can better display the dance steps.
Lao Liu practicing dancing in front of the mirror
The wallpaper and curtains of the ballroom are all pink
Lao Liu is engaged in the construction engineering industry. He is 54 years old and his children have grown up now and he does not need to worry about him. He underwent an operation 12 years ago and has since decided to quit smoking and drinking, dancing after meals, and living a self-disciplined life. From the back, it seems that he is only 30 years old.
I am 57 years old. I insist on getting up at 6 o’clock every day, and arrange a day of work after half an hour of exercise. He often posted videos of himself doing push-ups in his circle of friends, “I do not use the whole palm to support the ground, but only use three fingers to support, and I can do 60 in one breath. Is there any middle-aged person like me? “
Lao Zhou sings with the accompaniment singer
Lao Zhou is an activist in the ballroom. When the live accompanist sang, he also sang affectionately along with him, and occasionally climbed to the pole stage and circled a few times, seeming to have endless enthusiasm and energy.
The dancing hall culture that is aging and declining
In the 1980s and 1990s, dancing was a particularly fashionable thing. If anyone can’t dance, they would fall behind. At that time, when the reform and opening up were just started, people did not have so many ways to entertain and entertain.
Later that day, Lao Liu waited for his dance partner
There were more than 20 ballrooms in Nanning when it was most brilliant. “Ten or twenty years ago, ballroom tickets could be sold for 10 yuan per show, and 300 people danced for each show. Now 6 yuan, the price of a bowl of noodles is less than that, but no one is going to dance,” the proprietress said .
In recent years, dance halls have been closed down one after another, and now there are only 3 dance halls left in Nanning. With the increase in entertainment and pastime and the change in social methods, dance halls are aging and declining.
From Monday to Thursday, the ballroom is relatively deserted, with only a few dozen guests. There will be more passenger traffic on weekends, there will be about a hundred people.
Affected by the epidemic, the number of patrons this year has been reduced by half compared with last year, and there are almost no visitors in the afternoon. Now the dance hall is closed for the afternoon session, leaving only the morning and night sessions, and it is almost operating at a loss. “There are very few young people today who dance ballroom dancing. This may be the last person to dance in the ballroom.”
I asked the proprietress whether she would consider closing or switching careers if she couldn’t continue. She said she wouldn’t, “Although there are fewer and fewer dancing people, there will always be a group of people insisting. I believe that after the epidemic is over this year, more people will grow up, bite their teeth and survive.”
Upper: Near the end, the dancers are full of interest, lower: After the show, everyone rides on electric bikes to leave
At 10:30 in the evening, the ballroom finished the last dance music, the music stopped, and the colored lights turned into a bright whiteIncandescent lamp. People on the dance floor walked out of the dance hall, put on cotton clothes and coats, put on flat shoes, rode on electric cars, and walked towards the 21st century traffic.
This article is from WeChat official account:NOWNESS now (ID: NOWNESS_OFFICIAL), author: Zhu Baolei