The Adaptation and Cultural Transformation of Yuanshengtai in the Staged Performance of Tibetan Reba Dance

Authors

  • Zixuan Gao Universiti Malaya
  • Sangwoo Ha Universiti Malaya
  • Premalatha Thiagarajan Universiti Malaya

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37134/juraisembah.vol6.1.3.2025

Keywords:

Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), Reba Dance, staged performances, Yuanshengtai

Abstract

This study examines the underexplored processes of constructing and negotiating Yuanshengtai in staged performances of Tibetan Reba dance, addressing the tension between authenticity ideals and modern adaptations. Employing ethnographic methods, this research critically analyses how Yuanshengtai is collaboratively shaped by diverse actors within the context of Chinese intangible cultural heritage preservation. Findings indicate that Yuanshengtai in staged performances emerges through dynamic negotiations involving government agencies, choreographers, cultural elites, and folk artists. The concept serves to articulate cultural meanings related to national identity, cultural branding, and emotional nostalgia, despite sometimes detaching performances from their original social contexts. This study is dedicated to offering policymakers and cultural participants strategies to effectively balance authenticity with contemporary staging requirements.

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Author Biographies

  • Zixuan Gao, Universiti Malaya

    Zixuan Gao is currently a PhD student in Dance Studies at the Faculty of Creative Arts, Universiti Malaya. She held a B.A. in Music and Dance from Southwest Jiaotong University and an M.A. in Music and Dance from Tibet University, China. Her research interests are Chinese ethnic and folk dances and the Intangible Cultural Heritage of China.

  • Sangwoo Ha, Universiti Malaya

    Dr Sang Woo Ha received a PhD in Critical Dance Studies at the University of California, Riverside. She also held a B.A. in Dance and an Ed.M. in Physical Education from Ewha Womans University, South Korea. She is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Creative Arts, Universiti Malaya. She is pursuing dance/cultural research in socio-political and cultural contexts and gender studies in dancing bodies.

  • Premalatha Thiagarajan, Universiti Malaya

    Dr Premalatha Thiagarajan is a Senior Lecturer and the Deputy Dean (Undergraduate and Student Affairs) at the Faculty of Creative Arts, Universiti Malaya. She received her Ph.D. in Critical Dance Studies from the University of California Riverside, USA, in 2012. She pioneered the study of Indian dance practices in Malaysia, emerging as a leading academician-scholar in the country. She is an editorial board member of the distinguished Conversations Across the Field of Dance Studies under the Dance Studies Association (DSA). Her research interests range from Indian dances in Malaysia to dance therapy/rehabilitation for breast cancer survivors, and most recently, arts heritage/indigenous tourism.

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Published

2025-06-23

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 1 (2025): Jurai Sembah

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2025 Zixuan Gao, Sangwoo Ha, Premalatha Thiagarajan

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Gao, Z., Ha, S., & Thiagarajan, P. (2025). The Adaptation and Cultural Transformation of Yuanshengtai in the Staged Performance of Tibetan Reba Dance. Jurai Sembah, 6(1), 23-38. https://doi.org/10.37134/juraisembah.vol6.1.3.2025