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 global interest to engage with China, and connections are developing between Chinese and non-Chinese tertiary dance institutions. Within this curiosity and internationalization of dance education, there is the potential for authentic and exciting dialogue and exchange to occur. However, to allow such interactions to be the most beneficial it is of interest to look at the past of dance education in China 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 future dance education. Within this article, 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 within a Chinese context.

KEYWORDS:

• China
• dance
• education
• history
• internationalization

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. International dual degree programmes in dance include the Beijing Dance Academy and University of Auckland’s Master of Dance Education / Master of Community Dance. Research collaborations include research exchanges, collaborations, publications and symposiums between University of Auckland and Beijing Dance Academy, Brigham Young University and Beijing Dance Academy, NYU Steinhardt and Beijing Normal University, and the Centre for Research into the Performing Arts (ResCen) at Middlesex Arts Cross Collaboration with Beijing Dance Academy and Taipei National University of the Arts. Teaching and student exchanges include the China Dancer’s Association programmes with teachers from Dance Studies at the University of Auckland and Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, and Beijing Dance Academy and SUNY Purchase College and Unitec Institute of Technology.

2. Feudalism (Fengjian system) in the context of China usually refers to a structure where a region or piece of land is allocated to an individual, establishing him as the ruler of that region. It also describes a decentralized political system where the ruler shares power with local lords. There is some debate over the exact time of when the Feudalism started or ended in China. According to the Chinese Marxists histories, the hypothetical feudalism symbolizes the beginning of feudal stage in Chinese history, which continued until the fall of the Qin dynasty. Marxist historians in China have described Chinese ancient society as largely feudal.

3. Wu Xiaobang (1906–1995) is considered a pioneer of modern dance in 20th century China. From 1929 to 1936 Wu went to Japan to learn ballet and Mary Wigman’s expressionistic modern dance at the Takada Masao Dance Institution and the Eguchi Takaya and Misako Miya Modern Dance Institute. The exposure to German and American modern dance and ballet led Wu to devote his life to promote dance for the use of patriotic and leftist political causes, as well as extensive documentation and study of Chinese religious and folk dance (Wilcox 2016).

4. Professor Lu is a dance educator and scholar in China. He previously served as the Vice-Chairman of the China Dancers’ Association, and as President of the Beijing Dance Academy (BDA). Currently, he is a member of the Standing Committee of the Art Education Commission of China and the Chairman of the Academic Committee of BDA. His educational ideas and philosophies have had great influence on current dance teaching and learning in China.

5. Censorship has a long history in China (Steele 2009), and the practice of censoring articles, books, art works, films, music, dance, theatre, television and Internet content from the public sphere in China is clearly embedded in society and is considered to be widespread (Landia 2014). Within this, it has been noted that ‘contemporary Chinese artists have long been marginalized in China as their ideas conflict with the mainstream political ideology’ (Zhang 2014, 827). Self-censorship refers to a technique used by most artists, performers, institutions, writers, newsrooms and directors around the world to try to avoid measures and censorship by political authorities (Landia 2014).

6. New China (1949–present), as opposed to the imperial China, Chinese people view the foundation of the People’s Republic of China as the beginning of the New China.

7. The term ‘students with special talents’ usually refers to students who specialized in particular aspects of arts or sports, such as music, dance, drawing, playing football, or basketball. In China, since the late 1990s, there has been a ‘fast track’ system for Chinese students with special talents to gain places in top universities’ art troupes or sports teams. Students exhibiting ‘special talents’ can be admitted to University with a lower Gaokao score than the minimum admission requirements (usually 30–60 points lower). Therefore, in order to gain a place in a good university, parents often send their children to interest-oriented classes to cultivate these ‘special talents’ at a very young age.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jin Jin

Jin Jin is Lecturer in Dance Education at the Beijing Dance Academy. Jin Jin received her formative dance education at Beijing Dance Academy and holds a PhD in Dance Studies from the University of Auckland. Jin Jin’s doctoral research explored dance education within the context of China with a focus on pedagogical practices and teacher’s experiences. Jin Jin has translated several key dance texts from English to Mandarin and has shared her research at international dance conferences.

Rose Martin

Rose Martin is Senior Lecturer in Dance Studies at the University of Auckland. Rose is the author of Talking dance: Contemporary histories from the Southern Mediterranean (2014) with Associate Professor Nicholas Rowe and Associate Professor Ralph Buck; Dance, diversity and difference: Performance and identity politics in Northern Europe and the Baltics (2017) with Professor Eeva Anttila; and the sole-author of Women, dance and revolution: Performance and protest in the Southern Mediterranean (2016). Her research interests include dance education, dance ethnography, and dance and politics.