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
Individual paper:
“Transnational Bodies: Recentering the Cultural and Gender Identities of Queer Chinese Diasporic Dancers through Hybridization in the US”
(Notes: for the conference with the paper’s presentation, the content, supporting evidence and data were varied for each attendance).
Popular Culture & American Culture Association, Annual Conference 2026, Atlanta, GA
Role: Presenter/Panel Chair
Session Title: Identity, Media, and Power in Motion
Edward F. Hayes Advanced Research Forum
The 2026 (40th) Hayes forum, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
2025
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
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
2023-2025
Individual paper:
“A Call for Advocacy and Empathy: A Study of Gay Men in Chinese Dance”
(Notes: for the conference with the paper’s presentation, the content, supporting evidence and data were varied for each attendance).
Dance Studies Association (DSA):
Annual Conference 2025, Washington DC
Session Title:
“Positioning and Moving (through) gender and Sexuality”
Association for Asian Studies (AAS):
Annual Conference 2025, Columbus, Ohio
Session Title:
“Exploring Masculinity in Relationships, Work, and Play”
New York Conference on Asian Studies (NYCAS):
Annual Conference 2024, The University at Buffalo (UB), Buffalo, NY
Session Title:
“LGBTQ+ in Asia”
National Dance Education Organization (NDEO):
Annual Conference 2024, NDEO National Conference, Seattle, WA
Association for Asian Studies (AAS):
Annual Conference 2024, AAS-in-Asia, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Role: Presenter/Panel Chair & Organizer
Session Title:
“Gender, Sexuality and Individuality:
Negotiating Multiple Identities in Contemporary China”
Association for Asian American Studies (AAAS):
Annual Conference 2024, Seattle, WA
Session Title:
“QUEER LIFE: ART, COMMUNITIES, COVID & CRUISING”
Interdisciplinary Graduate Research Symposium:
Annual Symposium 2024, UW, Seattle, WA
Popular Culture Association:
Annual Conference 2024, PCA national Conference, Chicago, IL
Session Title:
Moving Meanings: Intimate, Personal, Symbolic, profound”
Dance Graduate Student Research Symposium:
Annual Symposium 2023, UW, Seattle, WA