□Chen Qi (Jinggangshan University)
Recently, “subject three appeared in Spring Festival Gala rehearsals in many places” has attracted the attention of netizens. One of the most widely circulated videos is a clip of Song Xiaofeng, a disciple of Zhao Benshan, performing the "Subject Three" dance while recording a Spring Festival Gala skit on Anhui Channel. In addition, "Subject Three" also appeared in the 2024 Spring Festival Gala rehearsal footage in Guangdong, Liaoning and other provinces.
twists her hips and shakes her hands, and performs silky small steps. Matched with the soundtrack of "A Smile in the Rivers and Lakes", the "Subject Three" dance has been controversial since it came out of the circle. Now with the news that "Subject Three" will appear on the Spring Festival Gala in many places, netizens are even more controversial. Supporters said there was nothing wrong with enjoying both the refined and the popular, while the opponents bluntly pointed out how decent the local dance was, and even joked that "the TV was smashed after the third Spring Festival Gala."
is a dance that originated among young people. Why is it now resisted by many young people? On the one hand, many young people associate "Subject Three" with "spiritual boys" and "social shakes" and believe that this kind of dance has "ill-born origins." On the other hand, many young people believe that "Subject Three" is a veritable "old meme" and "bad meme", which is difficult to be accepted in the official society. They even used the voting results on social platforms that are mostly against it to prove it. At the same time, the existence of the information cocoon room allows many people to only receive information that is similar to their own views, which further confirms that the vast majority of people are disgusted with "Subject 3".
However, his arsenic and my molasses may be vulgar and unbearable in your eyes, but they may be spiritual and lively in the eyes of others. Through careful observation, we can find that "Subject Three" is loved by many middle-aged people and children. In addition, the so-called voting on social platforms is mainly based on young people. Can such voting results represent the broad masses? Furthermore, whether it is earth or not is a personal aesthetic judgment, but whether it is fire or not is for everyone to see. On the short video platform, "Subject Three" has been played more than 50 billion times. Not only that, "Subject Three" has become popular in Taiwan, overseas, and even in the World Dance Competition. People of different skin colors scattered around the world share the same happiness because of a dance. This "Subject Three" has its value.
It is true that the reason behind many young people's boycott of "Subject Three" to attend the Spring Festival Gala actually reflects their dissatisfaction with the lack of innovation in the Spring Festival Gala today. Many people often say that whatever was popular in the previous Spring Festival Gala, whatever is popular in the current Spring Festival Gala will be performed. However, it should also be noted that literary and artistic innovation is by no means a castle in the air, but needs to be rooted in life. As a phenomenal dance, "Subject Three" obviously has reason to be the creative source of the Spring Festival Gala program. And according to the currently leaked rehearsal footage, it can be seen that the "Subject Three" dances in many places are not copied, but are integrated into the local folk culture. Such a familiar yet unfamiliar "Subject Three" may also be worth watching.
As a party for the general public, the Spring Festival Gala is naturally meant to be enjoyed by both refined and popular people. Of course, creators should also read the audience's expectations from different voices, achieve a balance between reference and innovation, and strive to find the greatest common denominator of the audience. But in the final analysis, the essence of "Subject Three" is a kind of dance. It does not need to be praised too high, nor belittled too low. We might as well take a tolerant view of whether it can officially appear on the Spring Festival Gala.
