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

## TL;DR

This study explores how university students in Guangzhou appreciate sports dance, identifying three types of appreciators and how their preferences are shaped by culture and experience.

## Contribution

The study introduces a new theoretical framework and empirical classification of sports dance appreciation behavior among university students.

## Key findings

- Three core dimensions of sports dance appreciation were identified: Intuitive-Emotional, Technical-Analytical, and Formal-Aesthetic.
- Three distinct types of appreciators were found: Emotional Resonators (45.1%), Technical Evaluators (30.0%), and Comprehensive Appreciators (24.9%).
- Appreciation preferences are influenced by regional culture, personal experience, and demographic factors like gender and academic major.

## Abstract

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.