Republic of Dance

Republic of Dance is a theatre project created by Xiao Ke × Zi Han in 2016. It looks at popular public square-dance culture in China through a combination of stage performance, public-space events, and documentary installations.

Originally popular in northern China with drums and suona accompaniment, public square dance has spread across the country, using popular music and mixing loyalty dance, disco, yangko, folk dance, and aerobics. The project revisits the history of modern Chinese dance, asking how bodily posture can reflect both a nation’s aesthetics and its political embodiment.

The stage production brings together personal stories from generations of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Dance, video, interviews, and floral installation build a seemingly happy public-square-dance setting, asking: why dance in public, and why be happy collectively? Beyond the stage, public-space events invite participation, while a documentary video installation presents the social landscape and atmosphere of square dance.