THE INFLUENCE OF TRADITIONAL PHILOSOPHY ON DANCE PERFORMANCE: A CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY OF PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS IN CHINESE AND KOREAN DANCERS

ABSTRACT Background: Chinese Wang Yangming’s philosophy and Korean Seongxue Theory both emphasize the unity of mind and body, self-cultivation, and harmony between the individual and nature. These philosophical principles may influence dancers’ psychological states and performance quality. Objective: This study investigates how traditional philosophical cognition affects dance performance through the mediating roles of dance stress, dance engagement, and performance self-efficacy. It also examines potential cultural differences between Chinese and Korean dance students. Methods: A total of 450 dance majors (225 from China and 225 from Korea) participated in this study. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to test the hypothesized relationships among variables within a cross-cultural context. Results: The findings indicate that traditional philosophical cognition positively predicts dance performance by reducing dance stress and enhancing dance engagement. Dance stress has a significant negative effect on performance, while dance engagement and performance self-efficacy serve as mediators linking traditional philosophy to performance outcomes. Significant cultural differences were observed in the psychological pathways between the two groups. Conclusions: This study provides empirical evidence for integrating traditional philosophical concepts into dance education. The results highlight the importance of addressing stress management and fostering motivation to improve performance and support culturally adaptive training approaches.