Chinese Cha Cha

Dance dance revolution

Katherine Mangu-Ward from the October 2007 issue

Thanks to Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonald’s, The Guardian reports, Chinese waistlines “have expanded almost as fast as the Chinese economy.” The solution? Mandatory dance lessons.

The Chinese Ministry of Education has added a dance curriculum to its physical education classes, to “suit the physical and psychological characteristics of students at different ages.” Cha cha is not on the schedule yet, but waltz is.

Alas, this seemingly flawless plan has its detractors. “The dance plan makes no sense,” Ma Yanling, a teacher in Beijing whose class of 37 includes only five overweight students, told The Guardian. “Running and calisthenics are a more effective way to lose weight. Our school needs to hire a special teacher to teach dancing, and it will take up a lot of time.”

The government hasn’t addressed that complaint, but it has responded to fears that kids might sneak cuddles with their cha cha. Administration official Yin Guochen told the Shanghai Oriental Morning Post that the students “will change partners regularly as soon as one song finishes. This way, the risk of young love will be lowered.”

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