Posted on 01/23/2019 5:24:46 AM PST by dennisw
Everyday he's shuffling! Zhang Pengfei, 40, is a primary school principal in north China's Shanxi province He would lead 700 students in a 'ghost shuffle' routine on campus every day The principal learned the dance for a month before introducing it to his pupils He wanted to get more students interested in exercising and being active
The school's new 30-minute dance routine has replaced the government-imposed broadcast callisthenics programme, a short workout that has been a requirement at every primary, middle and secondary school in China since 1951.
The rigid routine, which involves students stretching, jumping and bending under recorded instructions, aims to improve strength, agility and flexibility.
'I thought we needed a change because the students have been losing interest in doing the broadcast callisthenics routine,' Zhang told Southern Metropolis News.
The dedicated principal said he came across a group of people doing the ghost shuffle routine at a public plaza last summer and decided to learn the dance himself.
'I thought the dance would be great for kids,' he said. 'The music is full of energy and it really gets the happy feeling flowing.'
A primary school principal in north China has become the latest internet celebrity for busting some cool moves during a morning exercise routine with his students.
Every morning, 40-year-old principal Zhang Pengfei at the Xi Guan Primary School in Linyi county, Shanxi province would lead about 700 pupils on the playground in a synchronised 'ghost shuffle' routine - a dance that incorporates contemporary jazz steps with heel, toe and arm movements.
The bold headmaster thought the fun and energetic exercise routine would better encourage students to get active instead of 'being glued to their mobile phones'.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Regimentation in China. What a novelty!
Can American school kids pull this off or are they too chubby and phone addicted?
Lots of young Americans learn dance routines from YouTube. I’m sure whole schools-full would if the principal had the authority to make them. Most would probably prefer it to sitting in chairs.
Relevance?
I grew up with 4 sisters who all danced, one hit braodway for 4 years in 42nd Street. getting kids this age to stay in sync is not easy to do. and 700 of them?? I give it 2 thumbs up!
“Can American school kids pull this off or are they too chubby and phone addicted?”
One person would find it offensive and they would have to shut the whole thing down.
If my school and government told me to dance for 30 minutes...
... Lets just say my fit and trim @$$ would be somewhere else.
I’m not a damned monkey.
Our snowflakes couldn’t handle it.
Not at my kids’ school they couldn’t...
“Can American school kids pull this off or are they too chubby and phone addicted?”
One student’s parents would sue the school for “fat shaming” and thewhole thing would die a quick death.
FWIW China has it’s own phone and internet addiction problems. We don’t hear about them because their media is so tightly controlled. China has MANY internet cafes where young adults spend the entire day playing online games.
They have “camps” where parents send their kids to try to break their addiction to on-line games. The treatments even included electroshock “therapy”. A bunch of kids ended up drooling idiots from the electroshock therapy so that was banned but anything else goes.
Here is a video from the NYT so it is pretty sanitized.
https://youtu.be/jqctG3NnDa0
Part of the problem is the way kids are raised due to the 1 child policy and the fact that grandparents are raising the kids while the parents work. The kids are spoiled brats.
The Rise of Chinas Little Emporers
https://youtu.be/3L8osxCmUBU
The principal got some moves!
Now that’s damned cool.
LOL
Boy, does he ever! So light-footed and wonderful musicality. Thanks for the ping!
My dad told me that calisthenics were a part of every day schooling when he was young, in addition to recess.
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