The essence of dance. A study of Chinese and Western dance philosophy: socio-cultural, historical and educational aspects

ABSTRACT

The art of dance is an intangible cultural heritage that occupies a special place in the social and cultural policy of China. The purpose of this research is to identify the specifics of Chinese and Western dance philosophy. The dance philosophy is a complex notion, which is possible to study through various research methods, including the following: dialectical, semiotic, specific historical, socio-cultural and analytical as well as expert evaluation. This study concludes that the philosophical framework of Chinese and Western dance art plays an essential role. The authors developed a conceptual framework for understanding Chinese and Western dance philosophies. The research revealed that the unique traditions of Chinese national dance are an integral part of the country’s cultural heritage and reflect the philosophical aspects of dance within the multicultural environment. The research results can be used in dance pedagogy, choreography, and dance lessons to improve the techniques and skills of dancers. Further research is needed to compare the philosophies of Chinese folk dances and Western folk dances from different countries and historical periods.

KEYWORDS:

• Chinese dance art
• choreography
• dance
• dance pedagogy
• philosophy of dance art

Disclosure statement

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

Data availability statement

Data will be available on request.

Ethics approval

The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles approved by the Ethics Committee of Kookmin University.

Authors’ contribution statement

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Yaxu Jiao and Yong Zhao. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Informed consent

All participants gave their informed consent.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yaxu Jiao

Yaxu Jiao Master’s Degree, is a Lecturer at the Department of Performance and Imaging of Kookmin University in Seoul, Korea. Yaxu’s research interests include dance, philosophy of dance art and choreography.

Yong Zhao

Yong Zhao Master’s Degree, is a Lecturer at the Department of Dance, School of Music and Dance of Shaoguan University in Shaoguan and Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the City University of Macau in Macau, China. Yong specializes in Chinese and Western folk dances, dance art in general, dance philosophy etc.