Life

Office staff waltz their stress away

By Wendy Qian (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-06-30 10:23

Gao, who works as an outdoor event organizer for a company in Beijing, said her coworkers usually travel to places such as Antarctica, which is "way beyond what I can afford". Dancing is a reasonable alternative for her.

Gao said she doesn't really like other common ways of socializing either. "Dining together seemed like the only way I could socialize."

She said she discovers interesting new ways to socialize through movies such as Gone with the Wind and Pride and Prejudice.

The dancing games at the Yondingmen Hotel were heavily influenced by dances in the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice.

Gao believes that their event is more than a superficial adaptation of the movie. To some extent, "the movie's portrayal of personal relationships is similar to those of ours in real life," Gao said.

Beijing has many white collar workers who wish to expand their personal networking but often find it difficult to establish new friendships.

"Invisible gulfs exist between two strangers that prevent them from communicating, just like in Pride and Prejudice." Gao said. "And that's not a healthy societal relationship."

Yet Pride and Prejudice has a happy ending, where Darcy and Elizabeth eventually overcame barriers despite gossip and rumor. Gao thinks her dance events can achieve something similar.

Many of the participants said they made new friends and had fun while dancing.

"It's really interesting, even though I feel a bit dizzy after twirling about," said a woman surnamed Luo.

To help dancers get to know each other better, Gao also arranged for dancers to play an adaptation of the game Mafia, in which participants act out the roles of pirates, nobles and slaves. After the game, the men and women resumed their dancing.

Some participants said the dance was tiring, but none of them could have been as tired as the organizers.

Gao said that although this event marks great progress in her "dance crew", it comes at a price.

"I haven't slept for days," she said.

She hopes her crew can next perform for elderly people at a Beijing care home.

"We'd like to make elderly people happy through our dances."

A male dancer sweeps his partner off her feet.[China Daily]

 

Female participants wait for the next round of dancing.[China Daily]