Mapping China: Performing Arts - Dance: Brief Definitions of Terms

It is useful to clarify how certain terms are used in China vs. how they might be used in other countries. Below is a non-exhaustive list of key terms and their definitions as used in China.

Modern Dance: Translated into Chinese verbatim as xiandai (modern) wu (dance), this term is used to refer to the more ‘traditional’ style of post-classical dance imported from the West and adapted by Chinese choreographers. Because both ADF and ACC are American institutions, Chinese modern dance initially was most influenced by American modern dance styles/techniques, notably Graham technique. More recently, European influence has increased, due largely to European funding structures facilitating more choreographers coming to China and more opportunities for Chinese dance artists to study in European countries.

Contemporary Dance: Translated into Chinese verbatim as dangdai (contemporary) wu (dance), this term is used in two completely different ways in China, depending on context. One use refers to “army-troupe dance” (jundui wu), the style used by dance troupes associated with the various wings of the Chinese army. Loosely speaking, it is a kind of modernized folk dance typically employed by state-run song and dance troupes. The second use is closer to the way it is used in the West, to refer to post-modern dance that encompasses broad ranges of more avant garde physical performance styles.

Chinese Classical Dance: Late dance professors Li Zhengyi and Tang Mancheng are credited with codifying this dance form soon after the Beijing Dance Academy was founded in the 1950s. Initially intended for training rather than performance, Chinese classical dance drew on ballet technique/vocabulary and overlaid movements from traditional Chinese opera and martial arts. Source material also included classical literary texts that referred to dance such as Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai’s (701-762AD) poetry as well as cave drawings that depicted figures believed to be dancing. Within the Classical dance category itself, there are many different styles and subdivisions, such as Dunhuang, Classical sword dance, and Shui Xiu (water sleeves), to name a few.

Chinese Folk Dance: China has 56 officially-recognized ethnic-groups, with the Han ethnic group making up the majority of the population. The Folk Dance Department at the Beijing Dance Academy teaches dances from five main ethnic folk dance traditions: Han; Tibetan; Mongolian; Uighur (from China’s north-western Xinjiang Province); and Chaoxian (Korean).  Dai folk dance was later added to the curriculum. These are highly codified, performance-versions of folk idioms. Some argue more “authentic” folk dance training can be found at the Central University of Nationalities Dance Academy, rather than at the Beijing Dance Academy.

Revolutionary Ballets: During the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), Chairman Mao’s wife Jiang Qing outlawed traditional opera and all other forms of performance, replacing them with eight approved works, known as the “Yang Ban Xi” or Eight Model Operas. Included in these eight operas were two ballets, The Red Detachment of Women, performed by the Beijing-based National Ballet of China, and White Haired Girl, performed by the Shanghai Ballet. These ballets are still part of the companies’ repertory and are performed as part of their annual seasons as well as tours abroad. Red Detachment of Women Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCxE5UirSRk

Xueyuan: Chinese word for “academy”, as in Beijing Dance Academy. An educational institution in China must have government-designated “academy” status in order to grant students undergraduate degrees or higher (masters, PhD and post doctorate).

Xuexiao: Chinese word for “school”, used for both elementary/junior high/high school and also for vocational arts training institutions. Arts institutions in China recognized as “schools” rather than “academies” are more vocational certification level, cannot grant an undergraduate degree, and offer no masters or other higher-degree programs.