Opening the fan: Chinese postgraduate dance student’s experience in New Zealand

ABSTRACT

Since 2015 many postgraduate dance students from the Beijing Dance Academy China, have completed a one-year Masters in Community Dance at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. This paper reflects on eight student’s experience of their year of international study. Data gathered through semi structured interviews were examined through the threshold concept theory and we found that these students were challenged by teacher/learner relationships, academic research in dance studies, and classroom communications. The article makes recommendations to both the Beijing Dance Academy and the University of Auckland as this academic partnership matures. While this study is specific only to the two institutions involved in the research, it may provide insights that are common across other tertiary dance programmes for international dance students.

KEYWORDS:

• International students
• Dance
• Postgraduate
• Dual Masters

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ralph Buck

Associate Professor Ralph Buck is an award-winning teacher and academic leader. Ralph’s global research has been was featured at the UNESCO Second World Conference on Arts Education. He has collaborated with UNESCO in raising the profile in arts education around the world where he initiated, advocated for and planned UNESCO’s International Arts Education Week. Ralph is currently the UNESCO Co-Chair on Dance and Social Inclusion. He is on the International Editorial Boards of Research in Dance Education (RIDE) and Journal of Dance Education (JODE). Ralph’s research and publications focus upon dance teaching and learning and community dance.

Barbara Snook

Dr. Barbara Snook is a Professional Teaching Fellow and Professional Research Fellow at the University of Auckland. Barbara was the Caroline Plummer Fellow in Community Dance at the University of Otago in 2008. She is a successful author or dance text-books widely used in Australia and New Zealand, the most recently being ‘Using the arts across the Curriculum: Integrated Lesson Plans’. She was the recipient of an Osmotherly Award for services toward the development of dance education in Queensland Australia in 2007. Her teaching areas are in Dance Education and Community Dance. 

Hongmei Qu

Associate Professor Hongmei Qu is a member of staff at the Beijing Dance Academy. Amongst her many projects she took a lead role in developing ‘Quality Oriented Education and Dance Aesthetic Education’ for the Chinese Ministry of Education. She was a key researcher in the delivery of ‘Gannan Tea Dance – Teaching Materials and Teaching Practices’. Hongmei was a choreographer for the 29^th Olympic Games Ceremony, held in Beijing in 2008. During 2019 and 2020, she travelled to New Zealand as a visiting scholar to observe teaching in the University of Auckland, Dance Studies Programme.