舞蹈学科理论建设与中国舞蹈高等教育的再生

Theoretical Construction of Dance Discipline and the Reborn of Chinese Higher Dance Education

中国舞蹈高等教育发展已走过了30多个年头,在国家发展的新形势和新要求下,应该通过反思,在进行舞蹈学科建设的探索中谋求新的发展。针对办学的理念和方式还没有完全实现从"术科"到"学科"转变的现状,加强学科理论建设是关键。舞蹈的学科建设是舞蹈这个艺术门类的文化建设。它应该是在相应的技艺技能的基础上,具备完整的舞蹈学术意义并建立起科学的舞蹈学术理论。舞蹈的高等教育与中专教育不能只有量的变化而没有质的区别。舞蹈高等教育是一种学术行为,学理建设应该是舞蹈高等教育的基本品格和学科追求。而舞蹈高等教育的正规化、系统化、科学化必然对舞蹈学科的建设提出要求。因此,重新建构舞蹈学科的基础理论,努力探索舞蹈学科的应用理论,改革现有的舞蹈教育体制势在必行。要实现这个转变并非易事,观念的转变意味着惯性的改变。这是对舞蹈教育界的领导和每位教师能力的极大考验和对勇气的一大挑战。但只有实现从"术科"到"学科"的质变,才能迎来中国舞蹈高等教育的"再生"。

It has been over 30 years since the initiation of Chinese higher dance education. The development of Chinese higher dance education has enhanced the status of dance and promoted the development of dance field. It not only makes the artistic creation and artistic quality of Chinese dance step on another level but also enables a group of high-level dance talents to stand out.In recent years, as 'art study' became an independent discipline, the discipline construction of 'dance study'has received more and more attention. The discipline construction of dance is the cultural construction of dance as an art discipline, which means that dance discipline needs to have a comprehensive academic significance and to establish a scientific system of dance academic theory based on the corresponding skills and techniques.Therefore, higher dance education should have not only quantitative but also qualitative differences from secondary dance education. The establishment of scientific principles should be the basic quality and disciplinary pursuit of higher dance education, while the standardization,systematization, and scientific quality of higher dance education will inevitably raise new requirements for the discipline construction of dance.However, since the relatively late start of Chinese dance field results in weak academic development and accumulation, the 30 years’ development is not satisfactory. Reflection on and pursuit of new development in the construction of dance discipline are needed to meet the new status and new requirements of national art development.I. Problems of Chinese higher dance education i. Quantitative upgrade As the idea of cultivating talents with 'high, refined, and top' techniques dominates and technique-oriented courses account for a major portion of curriculum, the main focus of teachers and students is to improve techniques. The courses on culture and theory are seen as 'decorations.'Subsequently, though the 'quantitative upgraded' version of secondary dance education courses for higher dance education has cultivated a number of top talents, most of the graduates have a narrow range of knowledge and little social adaptability when they start to work.ii. Blindness One of the blind points of running higher dance education in China is represented by the academic system. In terms of talent training of dance, not all majors are suitable for and in need of the bachelor degree academic system. For example, for talents of dance performing, they should be active on stage during the age of 19-20, the golden age for performing. Another blindness consists in that the dance majors in general higher education institutions copy the model of Beijing Dance Academy indiscriminately. They insist on opening the majors of dance performing and dance choreography with the absence of suitable faculty and textbooks, regardless of their own characteristics-the quality of the education is at stake.iii. Incoherence Currently, 'dance education' is not a major in the list of national disciplines and majors. It can be only played as an 'edge ball' under the major of 'dance study.' In some primary and secondary schools valuing dance education,dance graduates are hired in the name of 'music teachers.' Most of the dance graduates are not able to teach at primary and secondary schools. Moreover, there is no established dance teacher assessment. The promotion of dance teachers is based on their assessment as music teachers, which has undoubtedly set up obstacles for dance teachers.Ⅱ. Suggestions on theoretical construction of dance discipline in China i. Reconstruct the basic theory of dance discipline The author believes that the 'basic theory' and 'application theory' shall be two main theoretical fulcrums of dance discipline. The past basic theory based on the content of 'dance history and theory' is not enough to reflect the complete picture of 'dance ' as an art discipline. It is necessary to reconstruct the basic theory of dance discipline from three aspects: ' dance history theory,' 'kinematics theory,' and 'movement theory.' 'Dance history' refers to the introduction to dance and history of dance, which is the basic theory of dance.The 'introduction to dance' is a theory that explains the nature of dance. The 'history of dance' is to explain the origin of dance, record the development of dance, and reveal the law of dance development. The author believes that the introduction to dance and the brief history of Chinese and Western dance in ancient and modern times is the knowledge that a dance major undergraduate shall master.'Kinematics theory ' includes anatomy, exercise physiology, and exercise psychology. It is the theory of 'body,' the tool to dance, and includes the theories related to dance in natural science. These theories enable dancers to understand the structure of the body and the functions of different body parts, the role of joints,ligaments, and muscles, and the physiological function of body movement, such as breathing and the movement and consumption of energy. They also facilitate mastering the psychological bearing capacity and impetus during body movement. With these knowledge delivered, dance teaching will benefit students significantly in exploring body, improving the training outcome, and prevention of dance injury.'Movement theory' is the scientific theory of 'movement,' the means of dance, which is the ontological theory of dance. In the 1920 s, Rudolf Laban, known as the 'father of modern dance theory,' founded 'Laban movement analysis' and 'Labanotation' based on the scientific research on human movements. These pioneering works of Laban led the teaching, performance, creation, and research of dance into a scientific and rational stage. Today,Laban’s theory of human movement has entered into the higher dance education institutions in developed countries and regions(including Taiwan and Hong Kong) around the world, which we shall also pay attention to and catch up with.ii. Explore the theoretical construction of the third-level disciplines of dance with effort The third-level disciplines of ' dance study, ' namely, ' dance performing, ' ' choreography, ' and' dance study(dance history and theory), ' shall establish a relatively independent and specific theory and knowledge system. The theories of the third-level disciplines of dance have boomed since the Chinese Economic Reform with various research achievements emerging in this realm, such as ' dance performing psychology, ' ' Chinese ethnic and folk dance culture,' 'dance ecology,' and 'dance training,' though a scientific system is yet to build. To this end, the author proposes the following framework for constructing the theory of dance study for reference:Dance performing: dance training, dance performing,dance performing psychology, dance performing history,etc.Dance choreography: principles and techniques of choreography, psychology of choreography, etc.Dance education: dance education, dance education psychology, dance education history, etc.Dance history and theory: dance history, dance morphology, dance aesthetics, dance ecology, dance methodology, etc.III. Reform the existing dance education system For the secondary school system, the author recommends to adopt an eight-or nine-year system instead of the sixyear system, in order to ensure that dance students share the same cultural and knowledge basis with their peers.Today, the eight-or nine-year system is adopted in the early professional dance education by various countries including France, Russia, and the United Kingdom. Dance,as an art discipline, is young. Dance talents have the needs of re-employment. Therefore, it is imperative to reform the system of the secondary dance education in China for both the development of dance field and the future of dance talents.For the university system, the current dance education system in China has generally evolved from college level to bachelor level, benchmarking a major development of Chinese higher dance education. But for the 'dance performing major,' the author suggests a shift of the academic system to the college level, or a two-step implementation of undergraduate education. After the first two years of dance performing education, students will join professional dance companies starting their career as performers. Pending stage retirement at the thirties, the dance professionals then may continue the undergraduate education(in dance education, choreography, dance theory, etc., depending on their preferences of reemployment).Chinese higher dance education has been through a long way since its initiation. However, during the reform and discipline construction of dance, it still demands constant reflection and continuous problem solving, for the dance in higher education in China to truly evolve from a ' technical field ' to an 'academic discipline.' Certainly, the evolvement is not an easy thing. It means the change of the customs,which is a great test and challenge to the abilities of the directors and teachers in dance education. Yet dance cannot fall into ' a field without principles ' and becomes an underestimated practical subject. The development of society and progress of the times have pushed us into the tide of reform. It is imperative to reconstruct the basic theory of dance discipline, explore the theoretical construction of the third-level disciplines of dance, and reform the existing dance education system. Aiming at the right direction, freeing our ideas, and exploring and reforming our own academic environment step by step,I believe that dance in higher education in China will reinvigorate and reborn, from a 'technical field' to an'academic discipline.'