Teaching Practice on the Transformation of Traditional Movements into Stage Performance in University Haiyang Yangko Teaching

Abstract

This study investigates the pedagogical process through which traditional Haiyang Yangko movement vocabulary is systematically transformed into coherent stage performance within university-level dance education. Grounded in sustained classroom observation, instructor interviews, and longitudinal student performance assessment across three academic cohorts, the research traces a structured curricular arc—from embodied ethnographic awareness to choreographic agency. The methodology integrates movement analysis, iterative rehearsal documentation, and reflective teaching logs to map how technical precision, cultural contextualization, and expressive intentionality are scaffolded across semesters. Findings reveal that successful transformation hinges not on stylistic simplification but on layered recontextualization: students first internalize regional gestural syntax through kinesthetic repetition; then deconstruct its functional logic in daily life contexts; and finally reconstruct it through compositional frameworks that honor structural integrity while enabling theatrical legibility. A critical threshold emerges at the midpoint of instruction—where students shift from reproducing movement as artifact to activating it as expressive material. This transition correlates strongly with increased kinaesthetic confidence, nuanced rhythmic responsiveness, and collaborative choreographic initiative. The study further identifies three recurring pedagogical dichotomies: authenticity versus theatricality, group form versus individual voice, and oral transmission versus codified notation. Resolving these dichotomies does not yield fixed solutions but cultivates adaptive artistic judgment. Ultimately, the teaching practice functions as a living interface between intangible cultural heritage and contemporary performance literacy—equipping students not merely to perform Haiyang Yangko, but to engage it as a dynamic, evolving language of bodily knowledge.