Abstract:
This study investigated current meanings of community dance in China. The question that drove this study was: What are meanings and roles of community dance in China, from a Chinese perspective? This study was motivated by my interest in how I may use dance to serve people. This research may play a significant role in developing theory and practice of community dance and may strengthen its role and place in China. This research may also help people form a different understanding of community dance by presenting new meanings of community dance from a Chinese perspective, which may shift and refine its meanings in other countries This study utilised qualitative and constructivist paradigms. Data was collected through conducting four one-hour semi-structured interviews with two dance scholars and two postgraduates from Beijing Dance Academy, the leading tertiary dance institution in China. The data was presented through four narratives. Through a constant comparative analysis, the following themes emerged: There is a strong correlation between square dance and community dance in China; geographical features of community inform meanings of community dance in China; participants of community dance in China are mostly middle-aged and elderly women; learning and teaching in community dance in China is dominated by an authoritarian pedagogy; diverse roles and functions of community dance in China are valued; and, lastly, there is some government support for community dance in China.