BODY AESTHETICS AND EMBODIED COGNITION IN CHINESE FOLK DANCE EDUCATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v7.i1.2026.7590Keywords:
Chinese Folk Dance Education, Body Aesthetics, Embodied Cognition, Somatic Awareness, Cultural Understanding, Dance Pedagogy, Aesthetic Judgment, Embodied Cultural PracticeAbstract [English]
Background/ problem: Background/Problem: Contemporary Chinese folk dance education emphasizes technical proficiency at the expense of cultural understanding and embodied experience. This pedagogical limitation restricts learners' capacity to engage with the cultural significance and embodied wisdom inherent in folk dance traditions.
Objective/Purpose: This study examines how body aesthetics and embodied cognition principles can be systematically integrated into Chinese folk dance education to create a culturally grounded, experientially rich learning paradigm that addresses both theoretical gaps in dance education literature and practical challenges in contemporary pedagogy.
Design and Methodology: Drawing on Richard Shusterman's theory of body aesthetics, Maurice Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology of perception, and embodied cognition research, this conceptual study systematically analyzes the symbolic structures of Chinese folk dance traditions across six major ethnic groups and proposes an innovative pedagogical framework featuring phased development and modular training approaches.
Results: The proposed framework comprises four developmental phases (body awareness awakening, movement meaning decoding, emotion-body integration, self-expression construction) and five training modules (perceptual training, movement analysis, reflective practice, cultural immersion, creative expression), providing systematic guidance for integrating somatic consciousness and cultural understanding into dance education.
Conclusion and Implications: This study contributes to behavioral science by demonstrating how embodied cognitive practices in arts education enhance self-awareness, cultural consciousness, and aesthetic judgment. The framework offers practical pathways for dance educators to transform movement learning from technical execution into meaningful cultural practice, with implications extending to other embodied cultural traditions.
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