Dancing Life Under the Sunset, Shanghai "Mohe Dance Hall" Mei's Day and Night | Dance Hall | Shanghai

In the award-winning new work "Mei's Day and Night" by director Luo Dong, a rather moving scene is Mei's chatting and laughing with her sisters and uncles in the dance hall. In the crimson ambient light, the bright green and blue reflect these no longer youthful faces under the reflection of the laser light ball. They converse in the noisy music, like dancers on the dance floor, taking three steps forward and two steps backward, with hidden wit hidden inside and outside the words.

Luo Dong's works also inspire us to take a look.

It doesn't matter at first glance, as if falling into a parallel space-time. The Shanghai dance hall is still a bustling world for the elderly.

New Dream

On the afternoon of the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, the business at the North Sheng Vegetable Market on Laohu Tai Road was idle, and vendors lay on bamboo beds to take a nap. The New Dream Dance Hall, separated by a wall, is singing and dancing soundly. A dance floor of several hundred square meters is crowded with dancers, including fast three, slow three, rumba, and guitar. The "bouncing" music drifts to the street edge.

The sign of Xinmeng is very big. Walking down the steep stairs into the dance hall, there is a desk at the entrance. The electric fan on the desk is blowing air, spraying sufficient air from the hall onto the faces of visitors. This is the ticket counter.

The dance hall is up-to-date and can be paid in cash or scanned.

"Two tickets, 30 yuan!" The price has recently increased, with holiday tickets rising from 12 yuan to 15 yuan, and regular night and day tickets rising from 9 yuan and 10 yuan to 11 yuan and 12 yuan.

Walking into the gate of the ballroom made people feel dizzy. Hundreds of uncles and aunts were in the same room, dancing and talking in the noisy music. The strong aura made some people can't open their legs.

Welcome to Xinmeng Dance Hall, the lightbox is simple and straightforward from copywriting to design. Due to the obstruction of 10 thick square pillars, the dance floor was pulled narrow and long. Colorful light strips circled around the top of the pillars and then spread out from the ceiling in all directions, sometimes bright and sometimes dark; The steel frame on the roof of the dance floor is suspended with speakers and disco light balls, further squeezing the height of the space; The airtight compactness creates a strong sense of age.

The uncles wear their own unique outfits. Fake GUCCI's large print, Versace's sequin logo, white pants and leather shoes, aesthetically pursuing the boss's style. Aunties, on the other hand, are less flamboyant and their art style appears more appropriate. In summer, loose skirts are mostly worn, spinning and jumping, and clothes cannot be bound.

The explosive scene is shocking, and even more wonderful is that although it is dense, a pair of dance partners rotate counterclockwise along the dance floor at a fast speed and close distance, they are all in their own rhythm and will not collide. The order is like a huge school of fish.

It can be proven that they are on the same frequency as the spring floor in the dance floor. In the old days of Shanghai, only the ballrooms of the Bailemon and Peace Hotel had rare items, and now the large ballrooms in Shanghai are standard equipment. To be honest, even if you spend 15 yuan to experience this magical bouncing rhythm, it's still worth it.

The central part of the stage is the world where the "fish school" dancers join. Lan Jie stands next to the dance pool, watching others dance while waiting for her dance partner to come over.

Lan Jie wore a ruffled short sleeved top, paired with a blue floral knee length skirt, and a pair of golden square heels Latin dance shoes. At three o'clock in the afternoon, Mr. Fang, Lan Jie's dance partner, sat in a familiar position. Without much warm-up, the two of them slid along the edge of the dance floor into the "school of fish".

Entering Huangmei Tian in Shanghai, the humidity is heavy, stuffy, and the atmosphere is steaming hot. More than ten vertical air conditioners were blowing cold air, and the electric fans on the wall were shaking their heads to help cool down. After playing a few fast-paced dance pieces, everyone unconsciously returned to their seats to drink water and rest; There are still a few pairs of dancers on the dance floor who are still unsatisfied, swaying slowly along with the theme song of the slow third version of Titanic.

Lan Jie took out a water bottle from her bag, chilled ripe Pu Xiao Qing Gan, and a small paper cup to pour onto Mr. Fang as well.

Lan Jie loved dancing when she was young and participated in a dance training class at the Workers' Cultural Palace in the district, where she met Mr. Fang. Two dance partners danced together, passing thirty years of glory. It has also been interrupted. When people reach middle age, everyone has their own ups and downs, and they have to keep an eye on their work and life both inside and outside. Until retirement, Lao Daizi kept in touch again, and Lan Jie remained unmoved, coming over every day to dance the whole scene.

"I have an outgoing personality, and the one at home is actually a 'otaku'. As long as my food is cooked and household chores are done well, I don't mind if I come to dance. Besides, I also know my dance partner, I haven't had much trouble for many years, so I can rest assured."

Lan Jie said it's quite difficult to find a dance partner in the dance hall. Everyone, come here, it's basically one-on-one.

"Ala has always had high demands on dance partners when dancing, and the other party knows that this person is upright and upright when they put their hands together. It's not easy to hold their left hand too tightly, and their right hand should be placed under their female partner's shoulder blade, not tightly hugged. The male partner is good at leading, and it's easy and beautiful to dance with."

Mr. Fang's wife has gone to New Zealand to help his daughter take care of her grandson. He is not happy to live abroad and enjoys living alone in Shanghai. Lan Jie invited Mr. Fang to dance with her at Xinmeng. "Sweating makes people feel better," she said

"Usually, there aren't many couples who come to dance, right?"

"There are many incidents of family conflicts caused by dancing outside, which is not new. However, we don't care about others' affairs."

After the slow music was played, the dancers returned to the dance floor one after another.

Many people come to Xinmeng because they feel that the music here is played well.

DJ Lao Xue, who controls the venue, sat in the attic on the half floor of the high dance floor, with thousands of songs stored in the computer in front of him.

This is the third year that Old Xue has been working at Xinmeng. He works three sessions a day, starting early and ending late, while switching classes with another DJ.

"There were the most people in the morning, buying good side dishes and giving good gifts to the children, and they happened to come to the dance hall to dance."

Facing the small window, the dance floor was in full view. Old Xue liked the angle of "looking down on all beings" and the rhythmic sense of control when holding the mouse. He is also a dancer, and his main reason for entering this industry is his ability to select music and control the stage. In addition to Xinmeng, he also works at another dance hall in Pengpu New Village, earning over ten thousand yuan a month. The only thing is that he is too busy and has no time to dance.

Lao Xue doesn't mind if we visit the important area of the computer room and chat with us with our feet crossed. "Pudong Lianfeng, you go on a military expedition there. The decoration is new and the environment is good. When it first opened, it was 25 yuan per ticket, but now it's cheaper. You can go dancing for eight or nine yuan. Why is it so cheap? They have opened several new dance halls next to them, such as Jinlan, Lilibel, and the New Palace. When big families compete, the prices come down."

Old Xue said that the facilities in Xinmeng are old and have recently increased in price, so there are not as many people as before. Strangely, there have been many young people born in the 2000s coming to check in recently. "It's said that this place is quite retro, and you can send a small red book for taking photos and checking in, but I'm not sure."

At around 4 o'clock in the afternoon, as the day court closed, most of the dancers left and the dance floor became quiet.

Aunt Chen propped up her phone on the table by the dance floor and filmed a video of herself practicing chopping. "When I was young, I didn't dance and didn't learn it. After retiring, I played in the dance hall, and now I can also do splits."

Aunt Chen, who is almost seventy years old, has a petite figure. She wears a long skirt with a blue background and a red peony strap, making her look like a flamenco dancer. Aunt Chen comes to dance for two to three hours almost every afternoon, which is her fitness class. She is a master and not a casual companion. "I met a university teacher today, it's okay. Sometimes when I come across an old man who stinks, I'm not happy to dance with them."

Unlike Mei in the movie who spent the rest of her life searching for a house and a man, Aunt Chen, who also lives alone, lives in her own 100 square meter house.

"I also have a house for rent, which costs over 3000 yuan per month. My child has started a family and supports me to dance in the dance hall." Aunt Chen has fair skin and few wrinkles on her face. She said she never gets sick, which is all thanks to years of dancing.

After several hours of hustle and bustle, the empty New Dream also showed signs of fatigue. The aunts and uncles in the venue began to clean and return to their desks and chairs. In three hours, another batch of guests will be welcomed here.

New West

At 7 o'clock in the evening, in a building four kilometers away from the New Dream Dance Hall, the owner of the Western Dance Hall turned on the air conditioning in advance to prepare for the night party that would start half an hour later. Passengers began to pick up one after another, and the dance hall gradually began to be noisy.

In fact, just like New Dream, the Western Ballroom is also an old store, even opening several months earlier than New Dream. It used to be located on Zhidan Road and is a famous dance hall in Putuo District.

Mr. Xu, the boss, is from Fujian. In his early twenties, he went to Shanghai to work hard and first opened a karaoke hall at the Zhenru Cultural Center. In 1997, he started a dance hall business.

Old Xu was good at running a dance hall, but he always didn't believe in his fate. He used to do a lot of other businesses: investing in real estate, sand factories, and Baijiu. All the money he earned from running a dance hall was discounted. At the age of knowing fate, Lao Xu honestly returned to his profession.

Previously, due to the expiration of the lease, Lao Xu had to close the old store. This has been a painful experience for many loyal dancers, even writing a joint letter requesting the boss to open a shop.

Faced with the voices of the masses, Lao Xu rediscovered the West and also recognized himself. At the end of January this year, the old store was relocated and opened, and business flourished again.

The 1000 square meter venue has only one load-bearing column in the middle, with a large LED screen, beautiful beam lights, and millions of investments, creating a luxurious effect far beyond the new dream.

Mr. Jin has a slim figure, wearing a black polo shirt, black trousers, and black leather shoes. His carefully selected outfit looks very stylish. He chatted intimately with the landlady, and later went to greet his companions, navigating around as if he were entertaining guests at home.

When the Western Dance Hall was still on Zhidan Road, Mr. Jin was their guest. "I like dancing. I know social dance, chacha, and rumba, and I can dance freely without relying on them for a meal. As long as I'm happy."

After wandering around in the dance hall for a long time, Mr. Jin has found his own place. Now, he is the group manager of a WeChat dance group.

"There are over 400 people in our group, including many at a young age of 40. I send out activity notifications several times a week in the group, and when the number of people fills up, I book a seat with the boss's wife."

At 7:30 pm, the dance music rang out on time. Mr. Jin was not in a hurry to take the field and arranged for his group members to pair up and dance. "I need to provide good service first, so that all the ladies have dance partners. If anyone doesn't dance well, I'll teach them."

Unlike the entertainment places that young people like bars and nightclubs go to, the best time for business in traditional dance halls is during the day. The Western Ballroom starts its morning session at 6:45 am and can accommodate over 300 guests. When it reopened at the beginning of the year, over 700 guests came in an afternoon. Lao Xu said, "The dance hall is like this. The more people there are, the more they want to squeeze in, and the more business they do."

Is running a dance hall a good business? A ticket to the Western Dance Hall for an evening performance costs 15 yuan, and the most expensive weekend afternoon performance is only 20 yuan. Dancers can spend an extra yuan to buy a disposable cup at the front desk, with tea inside and unlimited hot water supply.

Most dancers like to bring their own coffee and milk tea from chain brands on the table. Making money from alcohol is the main source of income for entertainment establishments, but it seems impractical in dance halls.

"We can only earn ticket money and travel volume. After all, it's not a bar. Young people just consume alcohol, and those who are a bit older come to dance for an affordable price." Old Xu calculated with us, "Now the rent for this venue is over 100000 yuan per month, which is three times higher than before. Every month, we can still make money, but the profit margin is a bit thin."

At its peak, there were over a dozen dance halls in Putuo District. However, when business could not be completed, they gradually closed down, leaving only one in the west. Speaking of this, Lao Xu felt a little proud: "In 2005, there weren't many bars outside yet. After 9 o'clock in the evening, we played disco music and young people liked to come and play. They could come and dance for half an hour for 5 yuan." This "micro innovation" also inadvertently drove business in the afternoon, starting with a 200 person event and gradually increasing to 300 or 400 people.

"So we still keep this tradition for now. Starting at 9:10 pm, there will be 20 minutes of bouncing music, which is just the right length. Over time, guests won't be able to dance."

Lao Xu's daughter captured a video of the dance hall on her phone and opened an account for "Shanghai Western Dance Hall" on her WeChat video account. Not long after the account was opened, the number of likes for video reposts continued to rise, with the most popular video reposting reaching over 5000 and liking over 1000.

Someone commented below: "Wait until I retire!"

Although it is a small profit business with a ticket of over ten yuan, Lao Xu pays great attention to service details. Every time we relocate, the West will leave enough time for old customers to return their cards. Guests who do not return their cards can continue to use the new venue.

Lao Xu said that his new location is a benchmark in the industry and can withstand any discerning gaze. "You go to the bathroom and see if it's clean enough to sleep in," he said. "I've always told my employees that the bathroom needs to be cleaned even cleaner than our kitchen. These details can enhance the experience of customers, and that's what we've been able to do for so many years."

The old store is newly opened, and the only thing that Old Xu is not very satisfied with is the music being played now. "The taste of music selection should cater to the guests, and the rhythm of dance music should also be well controlled. When it's fast, how many beats should be taken, and after a few fast songs, slow down the song. If the music is not played well and the guests don't feel comfortable dancing, they may not come next time."

Lao Xu stared at the store every day, observing the guests' reactions to music. Although the old and old decoration of Xinmeng no longer looks like the back of the Western Dance Hall, Lao Xu speaks highly of the music played by Xinmeng.

"They have a DJ, everyone calls him Xiao Chongming, and his music has received excellent feedback from customers. I have also tried to invite him, but he doesn't come, so let's slowly adjust ourselves."

At 9:10 pm, bungee music began to play. Mr. Jin and his dancers, following the rhythm, formed a circle hand in hand and danced a joyful group dance.

Lao Xu stood in a corner of the dance floor, quietly watching the dancers dance to their heart's content.

Tomorrow morning, a brand new ball will be held here.