Tencent eyes silver generation with investment in video app for dancing grannies

In public squares across China, groups of middle-aged women and seniors regularly gather at dusk and dawn to dance in unison to music blaring from loudspeakers.

Thanks to the internet, the public square is no longer their only stage. Tangdou, a social media app that teaches grannies and grandpas how to dance, has 200 million users in China – more than the population of Mexico and Britain combined.

Tangdou, which means “jelly bean” in English, was launched in 2015 as a dancing video app by Beijing-based Xiaotang Technology. It features tutorials that break down the choreography for a variety of dance styles including Chinese folk dance, jazz, ballroom and even hip-hop.

While the instruction videos on Tangdou feature original choreography from professional dance teachers, users can post videos of themselves hoofing it, aided by filters that make their skin look fairer and body shape slimmer. They can also share pictures and text with connected friends on the app via the social media page named “Square”.

A mini-app for Tangdou is available on Tencent Holdings’ WeChat, China’s ubiquitous messaging and do-everything app, from which users can buy costumes, cosmetics and skincare products to improve their dance experience.