Publication: Journal of Dance Education
Yuan, Zihao. 2025. “A Call for Advocacy and Empathy: A Study of Gay Men in Chinese Dance.” Journal of Dance Education 25 (3): 229–38. https://doi.org/10.1080/15290824.2025.2522092
(Winner of the 2024 Doug Risner Prize for Emerging Dance Researchers)
"A Call for Advocacy and Empathy: A Study of Gay Men in Chinese Dance"
--Zihao Yuan, 2023
Since the founding of the Beijing Dance School in 1954, Chinese dance education has been divided into strictly gender-segregated classes, fully relying on a gender binary. This research paper explores the experiences of ten gay men, focusing on their sexual orientation and gender expressions as queer male dancers, all of whom are professionals in the Chinese dance community. It discusses two main themes: the challenges faced by gay men in a society that often restricts their true self-definition, gender expressions and artistry; and the influence of teachers in shaping students’ dance journey. This research highlights the impact of traditional gender norms in Chinese dance education, the importance of inclusive teaching methods, and the quest for freedom and acceptance within a society that has yet recognized or legalized the LGBTQ+ community. It also aims to promote a deeper understanding for dancers experiencing gender inequality in dance education.
Keywords: Chinese dance; gay men; LGBTQ+; gender and sexuality; queer dance
Photo by: Molly Chen
Conference Presentations
2026
Popular Culture & American Culture Association, Annual Conference 2026, Atlanta, GA
Individual paper:
“Transnational Bodies: Recentering the Cultural and Gender Identities of Queer Chinese Diasporic Dancers through Hybridization in the US”
Session Title: Identity, Media, and Power in Motion
2026
Edward F. Hayes Advanced Research Forum, The 2026 (40th) Hayes forum, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Individual paper:
“Recentering the Cultural and Gender Identities of Queer Diasporic Dancers through Hybridization in the U.S.”
2025
School of Dance at the Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA): Martial Currents: Flowing Across Borders – An International Symposium on Interdisciplinary Expressions Informed by Chinese Martial Arts in a Global Context
Individual paper:
Between Force and Flow: Reimagining Gender Norms Through Martial-Dance Hybrids in Dance Drama: Wing Chun (舞剧: 咏春), Duan Ni’s Weight x 3 – Stick (段妮: 重3-棍舞), and Sword Dance Training
2025
Dance Studies Association (DSA): Annual Conference 2025, Washington DC
Individual paper:
“A Call for Advocacy and Empathy: A Study of Gay Men in Chinese Dance”
Session Title:
“Positioning and Moving (through) gender and Sexuality”
2025
Association for Asian Studies (AAS): Annual Conference 2025, Columbus, Ohio
Individual paper:
“A Call for Advocacy and Empathy: A Study of Gay Men in Chinese Dance”
Session Title:
“Exploring Masculinity in Relationships, Work, and Play”
2024
New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS): Annual Conference 2024, The University at Buffalo (UB), Buffalo, NY
Individual paper:
“A Call for Advocacy and Empathy: A Study of Gay Men in Chinese Dance”
Session Title:
“LGBTQ+ in Asia”
2024
National Dance Education Organization (NDEO): Annual Conference 2024, NDEO National Conference, Seattle, WA
Individual paper:
“Calling Advocacy and Empathy for Gay Men in Dance”
2024
Association for Asian Studies (AAS): Annual Conference 2024, AAS-in-Asia, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Role: Presenter/Panel Chair/Organizer
Individual paper:
“A Call for Advocacy and Empathy: A Study of Gay Men in Chinese Dance”
Session Title:
“Gender, Sexuality and Individuality: Negotiating Multiple Identities in Contemporary China”
2024
Association for Asian American Studies (AAAS): Annual Conference 2024, Seattle, WA
Individual paper:
“A Call for Advocacy and Empathy: A Study of Gay Men in Chinese Dance”
Session Title:
“QUEER LIFE: ART, COMMUNITIES, COVID & CRUISING”
2024
Interdisciplinary Graduate Research Symposium: Annual Symposium 2024, UW, Seattle, WA
Individual paper:
“A Call for Advocacy and Empathy: A Study of Gay Men in Chinese Dance”
2024
Popular Culture Association: Annual Conference, PCA national Conference, Chicago, IL
Individual paper:
“A Call for Advocacy and Empathy: A Study of Gay Men in Chinese Dance”
Session Title:
Moving Meanings: Intimate, Personal, Symbolic, profound”
2023
Dance Graduate Student Research Symposium: Annual Symposium, UW, Seattle, WA
Individual paper:
“A Call for Advocacy and Empathy: A Study of Gay Men in Chinese Dance”