Transcending technique: a theoretical framework and empirical study of sports dance appreciation behavior among university students in Guangzhou

This study employs empirical methods to investigate the essence of sports dance appreciation behavior among university students in the Guangzhou area. An online questionnaire survey was distributed to 350 students from universities across Guangzhou, including comprehensive and technological institutions. Utilizing Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis, this research identified three core dimensions of sports dance appreciation: Intuitive-Emotional, Technical-Analytical, and Formal-Aesthetic. Furthermore, three distinct typologies of appreciators were established: Emotional Resonators (45.1%), Technical Evaluators (30.0%), and Comprehensive Appreciators (24.9%). The findings reveal that the sports dance appreciation behavior of Guangzhou university students exhibits significant subjectivity and diversity, with their appreciation preferences being substantially influenced by regional cultural background and personal experience. The developed Sports Dance Appreciation Experience Scale demonstrated excellent psychometric properties, with PCA revealing a three-factor structure accounting for 56.15% of the total variance. Significant associations were found between appreciation types and demographic variables such as gender, academic major, and prior dance training, highlighting the roles of cognitive style and embodied experience in shaping aesthetic processing. Drawing on art reception theory, aesthetic psychology, and aesthetic education pedagogy, this study constructs a theoretical framework for sports dance appreciation and provides empirical evidence for understanding the aesthetic reception mechanisms of this hybrid art-sport form. These insights offer important implications for designing differentiated aesthetic education strategies and curriculum development in sports dance.