Change or not: inheritance and development of the “three bends” in the teaching of traditional dances of the Dai people in China and Thailand: based on the grounded theory of four teaching units

Abstract

ABSTRACT There are disparities in awareness, concept, and practice of inheritance and development in the teaching of traditional Dai dance between China and Thailand. The performance is particularly evident in the instructional activities of the trademark movement ‘three bends,’ which may be separated out: There are three connections: the distinction between heredity and development concepts, the distinction between behaviour in teaching practice, and the strengthening of concepts and behaviours. The coding, interpretation, and comparison were established by a quantitative questionnaire survey and a qualitative half-section structured interview using grounded theory to explore four teaching units in China and Thailand, including universities and song and dance troupes. The study discovered that rules and teaching practices focused at diverse awareness concepts are causing the Dai nationality, a cross-border country, to form a separate development in teaching and creating. This concept and behaviour are also impeding conventional dance instruction. The original goal of traditional culture was to conserve the Dai people’s culture and norms in China and Thailand. As a result, critical thinking and reflection on concepts and behaviours must be incorporated into the teaching of Dai traditional dance in China and Thailand.