On the Formal Function of “Urban Dance” from the Perspective of Sociological Aesthetics

-- A Comparative Study of Song-dynasty Folk Dance Troupes and Contemporary Chinese Square Dancing

Abstract

As a persistent form of socio-cultural expression, urban dance is deeply rooted in the lived experience of ordinary people and has gradually evolved distinctive formal characteristics. Examined through the lens of sociological aesthetics, a comparative analysis of folk dance troupes in the Song dynasty and contemporary Chinese square dancing reveals the functional continuity of urban dance across historical periods. Dance functions as a principal medium through which its internal content and structure are articulated, while simultaneously carrying significant social meanings: it enables public participation, facilitates interpersonal interaction, and contributes to the construction of collective and individual identities. Within the context of the aestheticization of everyday life, the sensory experiences of countless individuals collectively constitute the contemporary social fabric. By interrogating such individual experiences, one may discern that both the folk dance troupes of the Song era and today’s square dances served, in their respective times, as vital means for social formation—indeed, as embodiments of society itself.