Exploring the past to navigate the future: examining histories of higher dance education in China in an internationalized context

Abstract

China has a rich history of dance education and has established prominent tertiary dance institutions. Coupled with this is a growing interest globally to engage with China, and connections are developing between Chinese and non-Chinese tertiary dance institutions. Within this internationalization of dance education there is the potential for authentic and exciting dialogue and exchange to occur. However, to perhaps allow such interactions to be most beneficial for all involved it is of interest to look at the past to navigate the present and the future. Therefore, this article seeks to critically examine histories of higher dance education in China, to then provide critical understandings of higher dance education in China in the present and how these histories might inform the future. Within this there is a purposeful focus on the meanings of dance education in China, the relationship between politics and dance, and the examination-orientated education philosophies in teaching and learning dance.

Comparative Characteristics of Dances in China and Ukraine from the Point of View of Historical, Genre, Target, Methodological and Socio-Political Aspects: a Review Article

“…However, the further development of dancing in China and Ukraine has a different direction. In China, the direction of dances to reflect the unity of man with the harmony of nature can be traced to the present day [10,11]. For China, both with the emergence of dances and at the present time, the internal orientation of the dance art is characteristic, that is, the orientation towards achieving harmony of the psychological state of a person through movement.…”

“…In a number of studies [4,11,12], the focus of Chinese dances on the inner world of a person, to achieve harmony in thoughts and emotions and movements, has been traced to this day. This observation is based on observing the development of dance in a historical context.…”

Dancing from policy to pedagogy in China: Transgressions, surveillance and resistance from students, teachers and institutional leaders

“…Governmental directives such as the Opening Up Policy of 1978 (Xianshun, 2003), the Enrolment Expansion Policy of 1998 (Wan, 2006), the Suggestion on Strengthening and Improving School Aesthetic Education of 2015 (Peng, 2016) and the Belt and Road strategic initiative (Reeves, 2018) have broadened and redirected the function of arts education to greater connect with the creative knowledge economies of the 21st century. Along with broader reforms to promote ‘quality education’ (Dello-Iacovo, 2009), these governmental directives have prompted tertiary dance institutions in China to increasingly engage with international scholars and theories to develop alternatives to the traditional, conservatoire model of dance education (Jin and Martin, 2019). Such a transformation is by no means straightforward.…”

A reimagined world: international tertiary dance education in light of COVID-19

“…Within the processes of globalization and the increasing connections over the past decades, contemporary practices of education and educational institutions have become more internationalized (Altbach and Knight 2007;Kehm and Teichler 2007;Yemini and Sagie 2016). Many scholars have documented the impact of globalization on educational processes and pedagogical practices (for examples see: Apple, Kenway, and Singh 2005;Cullingford and Gunn 2005;Li 2018;Tight 2019), and dance education is not excluded from this international development and exchange (Jin and Martin 2019;Martin 2013).…”