Audience Reception of Gender-Challenging Chinese Classical Dance Performances

Abstract

This qualitative study examines how audiences perceive and respond to Chinese classical dance performances that challenge traditional gender norms. Although Chinese classical dance is often associated with cultural continuity, aesthetic discipline, and gendered movement conventions, contemporary performances increasingly present strong female characters, gender-neutral choreography, and modernised movement vocabularies. Limited research has explored how audiences interpret these changes. Drawing on open-ended audience response forms, semi-structured interviews, and reflections on six selected performances, this study identifies five major thematic patterns: generational differences in acceptance, responses to strong female characters, challenges in interpreting gender-neutral choreography, mixed reactions to innovative movement vocabularies, and rising interest in modernised classical dance. The findings show that younger audiences were generally more receptive to gender fluidity and choreographic innovation, while older audiences placed greater emphasis on classical recognisability, narrative clarity, and familiar gender codes. Strong female characters were more widely accepted than fully gender-neutral choreography because they provided clearer narrative and cultural meaning. The study contributes to Chinese dance studies, gender studies, and audience reception research by showing that gender meaning in dance is not produced by choreography alone, but is actively interpreted, negotiated, and sometimes resisted by spectators.