This study examines sinmuyong, a core asset of Korean modern dance, from the perspective of contemporary intangible heritage discourse and derives practical tasks for enhancing its cultural heritage value and status. To this end, the study reviews the paradigm shift in cultural heritage concerning modern arts and and substantiates the historical transmission lineage and the tangible existence of works in sinmuyong through literature research and case analysis. The findings confirm that sinmuyong is the product of the an autonomous aesthetics that led to the modern change of tradition and that it sufficiently meets the requirements of “living heritage” through an established transmission lineage and identifiable repertoire.. This study is significant in broadening the horizon of Korean dance heritage by defining sinmuyong as an ongoing, living heritage.

This study aims to identify the cognitive emotional mechanisms underlying why AI-based performance reproduction does not fully feel “authentic” to audiences, and to analyze the structure of audience authenticity perception. An AI-based performance reproduction video featuring Audrey Hepburn was used as a stimulus. The study does not seek to evaluate the authenticity of a specific traditional dance form, but focuses on how perceived visual artificiality influences authenticity loss and emotional distance. The research model draws on uncanny valley theory, perceptual realism, authenticity theory, and Walter Benjamin’s concept of aura. PLS-SEM analysis of 1,124 respondents revealed that unnatural gaze and facial expressions, violations of physical laws and detail errors, and excessively smooth skin representation all had significant effects on authenticity loss and emotional distance. Authenticity loss significantly affected emotional distance and partially mediated the relationship between visual artificiality and emotional distance. The findings suggest that audience experience in digital performing arts may be shaped more strongly by the perceived naturalness and authenticity of performance than by the level of visual reproduction itself.

This study examines data governance issues arising from the expanding use of data and artificial intelligence (AI) in the performing arts through a stage-based data pipeline framework. The pipeline consists of six stages: collection, cleaning and processing, storage and management, AI training, generation and utilization, and reuse and sharing. Using seven domestic and international cases, the study applies pattern-matching analysis to identify dominant governance factors at each stage, focusing on six dimensions: legitimacy, quality, control, transparency, accountability, and usability. The findings show that governance issues emerge structurally along the data pipeline rather than from specific technologies. Legitimacy was dominant in AI-based creative systems, quality in real-time performance environments, control in digital archives, and usability in platform-based sharing systems. The study highlights the need to establish stage-specific governance frameworks suited to AI-driven performing arts environments.

This study examines artificial intelligence (AI) discourse in Korean dance studies between 2017 and 2025 from the perspective of human–technological–bodily relational networks and investigates how AI is transforming the discursive structure of the field. To achieve this, phenomenological embodiment theory, posthumanist theory, and technology-mediated art discourse were employed as analytical frameworks, and a qualitative literature review was conducted on thirty-five academic articles published in Korean scholarly journals. The findings indicate that AI functions as an agent mediating bodily experience, creative processes, and modes of reception across the domains of education, creation, and audience engagement. As a result, the body is being reconstituted as a relationally-constituted entity, creation as a collaborative process, and reception as a participatory experience. Overall, AI discourse in Korean dance studies extends beyond discussions of technological application toward an exploration of how meaning is generated through human–technological–bodily relations, representing a discursive shift that calls for a re-examination of the concepts and boundaries of dance studies.

This study examined the effects of performance participation motivation on dance self-confidence and major satisfaction among Chinese international students majoring in dance studying at Korean universities and tested the mediating effect of dance self-confidence. A survey was conducted with 303 respondents, and the collected data were analyzed using measurement and structural equation models. The results showed that performance participation motivation had significant positive effects on both dance self-confidence and major satisfaction. Dance self-confidence also had a significant positive effect on major satisfaction and demonstrated a mediating effect in the relationship between performance participation motivation and major satisfaction. These findings suggest that systematic support for performance experiences and educational support measures to enhance dance self-confidence are necessary to improve major satisfaction and academic adjustment among international dance major students in Korea.

This study chronologically analyzes the institutional changes of the Seoul Dance Festival(SDF) using the framework of New Institutionalism to identify the festival’s function as an institutional field where national cultural policy, the artists’ community, and social discourse intersect. The research employs a three-tiered analytical framework —policy history, institutional history, and cognitive discourse—to structure the festival’s stages of formation, transition, and institutionalization. The analysis reveals that the SDF’s institutional evolution accompanied the complex interplay of regulative, normative, and cognitive factors. Key drivers included internal critical discourse from the dance community, the national cultural policy’s ‘Arm’s Length Principle’, and the exogenous pressure of adopting ESG-based operations. This empirically demonstrates the realization of Discursive Institutionalism, where social values such as fairness, transparency, and sustainability become internalized as institutional norms. Ultimately, the Seoul Dance Festival transitioned from a ‘regulative institution’ focused on administrative efficiency to a ‘discursive institution’ that has internalized social trust and value. This confirms the shift in Korean arts administration from an emphasis on efficiency rationality to a cultural rationality centered on social discourse.

This study aims to examine the current status and challenges in the operation of dance curricula in arts high schools under the 2022 revised national curriculum, and to explore directions for improvement. To this end,we conducted in-depth interviews with 14 dance teachers The analysis yielded three main categories perceptions of the dance curriculum, challenges in dance education, and strategies for improvement as well as eleven subcategories and 21 key concepts. The findings identified issues such as a lack of autonomy in curriculum implementation, an entrance-exam-oriented educational structure, limited teacher expertise, and a gap between policy and practice. In response, the study suggests key the following developmental directions: establishing the identity of the dance curriculum, adopting a holistic educational approach, strengthening teacher professionalism, expanding expert participation, and reinforcing the status of dance as an independent subject. This research seeks to provide foundational insights to position dance education as an independent discipline that supports students’ holistic growth.

This study investigates the relationship among participation motivation in dance programs, positive psychological capital, and successful aging among middle-aged adults attending seniors universities. The participants were middle-aged adults who took part in dance programs at seniors universities in four cities with a high level of aging in Jiangsu Province. A total of 312 valid questionnaires were used for the final analysis. The measurement tools used in this study were questionnaires on participation motivation, positive psychological capital, and successful aging. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS WIN VER 27.0 and AMOS 26.0. The results of this study are as follows: First, dance programs motivation was found to have a significant effect on positive psychological capital. Second, dance programs motivation was found to have a significant effect on successful aging. Third, positive psychological capital was found to have a mediating effect on the relationship between participation motivation and successful aging. This study suggests that dance programs can enhance the positive psychological capital of middle-aged adults and contribute to the promotion of successful aging.

This study aims to analyze the characteristics of domestic and international dance performances utilizing VR technology, focusing on immersion and interactivity, and to explore their future potential. To achieve this, five works showcasing prominent collaborative features of VR-based dance performances implemented between 2016 and 2023 were selected for case analysis. The production processes and interviews were thoroughly examined to specify the developmental potential and limitations of VR dance performances. The findings are study highlights the collaboration between VR technology and dance performances as a means to create new artistic forms that enhance immersion and interactivity. It is expected to contribute to the development of specific methodologies that expand the expressive potential of the body and actively engage the audience.

This study analyzed the relationship among physical self-efficacy, intention to continue dance, and psychological happiness of Chinese public square dance participants. The researchers conducted a survey on Chinese public square dance participants, and SPSS 23.0 was used to analyze 334 people in total. According to the analysis results, first, it was found that physical self-efficacy had a significant influence on the intention to continue dance. Second, physical self-efficacy was found to have a significant influence on psychological happiness. Third, it was found that the intention to continue dance had a significant influence on psychological happiness. The result confirmed that the physical self-efficacy of the Chinese public square dance participants is an important factor that promotes the intention to continue dance and ultimately contributes to the improvement of individual psychological happiness. Therefore, we suggest an approach considering these factors is needed in in the future when designing a program to improve the happiness of Chinese leisure dance participants.