The precarious lives of dance teachers in China

The labour market for dance educators in China has undergone a rapid transformation in the last three decades, from a largely state-funded employment structure to an increasingly free-market economy, says Yue Liu, who graduated from the University of Auckland with a PhD in Dance Studies in the recent Spring ceremonies.

“This has meant a surge in privately owned dance studios, with freelance dance teaching becoming the main job opportunity for tertiary dance degree graduates in China,” says Liu.

For her thesis, Liu, a full-time ballet teacher herself at a school on Auckland’s North Shore, spoke to ten dance teachers and studio owners in China on the social media platform WeChat. Most taught either Chinese traditional dance, ballet, or both.

“Even though I’ve been living and studying, and now working, in New Zealand for the past seven years – I completed my masters in dance studies at Auckland – I did want to go back to China to do these interviews face-to-face; however, Covid came along and changed that plan,” she says.

On the positive side, she says, the changed labour market has led to a steep rise in dance entrepreneurship, and many more dance teachers opening their own studios to meet the high demand.

“However, both freelance dance teaching and dance studio ownership involve significant precarious employment,” says Liu, “ranging from the fear of unemployment to not having basic needs met, and issues of workplace safety.

“These experiences, unfortunately, can make teachers and studio owners feel confused, overwhelmed, unprepared, stressed, undervalued, humiliated and ultimately, self-doubting.”

Liu’s thesis investigates how these experiences influence dance teachers’ motivation to keep doing what they love.

“I found that how autonomous teachers were able to be, and how competent and connected they felt in their working environment, had a significant impact on their motivation to keeping going.”

She says Chinese traditional dance remains  highly popular and culturally significant in China, and in recent years, there’s been a resurgence in people wanting to learn and perform it.

“Chinese dance dramas, known as wuju, for example, have seen a dramatic rise in popularity, especially among younger people, with shows like A Tapestry of a Legendary Land clocking up 1.6 billion views on Doyin (China’s TikTok).”

Liu says these performances blend traditional aesthetics with modern choreography and include both ballet and contemporary dance.

“Dance education in China is also increasingly seen as a tool for cultural preservation, and a way to foster emotional well-being, creativity and cultural pride.”

A related trend, she says, is the rise of hanfu culture, traditional Chinese clothing worn by young people.

“Many young Chinese now see traditional customs, including dance, as a way to express their national identity and aesthetic values, often blending them with modern elements like reality TV formats and social media trends.”

For her graduation, Yue’s parents came from China especially, and they are, of course, very proud of her achievements.

“It was lovely to have my parents there as they’ve supported me all through my studies in New Zealand, and I also had my boyfriend there as well.”

She is very grateful to her supervisor, Professor Nicholas Rowe, who not only oversaw her whole degree, but also helped with the English translations of the interview components, which she originally wrote in Mandarin.

“I really want to thank Nicholas for inspiring me in every conversation with vivid metaphors and insights to help me find my way when I was lost. He was always willing to listen patiently and offer valuable advice whenever I was struggling with my studies; he made my PhD full of surprises and happiness.”

Now that she’s completed this milestone, Yue plans to continue working as a dance teacher for mostly school-age students in New Zealand, and says she loves seeing her students achieve.

“I used to love performing myself, and being in front of an audience, but I no longer do that, or very seldom, so the next best thing is to see all the techniques I've learned reflected in my students’ dancing. It makes me very proud and happy.”

“I felt like a fish out of water"; Dance teachers' experiences of precarity, opportunity, and motivation in the private sector in China,' by Yue Liu is available at ResearchSpace.