Zhang Beining, Chen Zhihui

Sichuan Flim And Television University

Abstract：

Digital technology offers a historic opportunity for the preservation and innovative teaching of ethnic and folk dance. Taking the Qiang ethnic folk dance—rich in cultural heritage—as the specific subject and medium of this study, this paper focuses on virtual reality (VR) and motion capture technology to systematically explore their application models, effectiveness, and the profound transformations they bring to both teachers and students in professional dance education. The study uses dance vocabulary such as “circular hip movements” and “side hip thrusts” as specific teaching practices and quality assessment benchmarks. Through the design and implementation of a controlled teaching experiment, the study validated the significant effects of VR-assisted instruction in the following areas: effectively improving the standardization of students’ movements, enhancing the precision of grasping the stylistic characteristics of Qiang folk dance, deepening the immersive experience of the learning process, and promoting an understanding of the cultural connotations of Qiang dance. Building upon the findings of the teaching experiments, this paper expands its research perspective to the critical domain of teacher professional development, thereby proposing an exploratory framework for virtual simulation-based training. This framework aims to provide theoretical references and development pathways for future systematic and precise training models for Qiang folk dance instructors, centered on three core dimensions: “motion data calibration,” “cultural contextual immersion,” and “intelligent teaching assessment.” Finally, the study proposes a forward-looking vision for the construction of a cross-regional, interactive “Digital Resource Repository for Qiang Folk Dance Teaching Materials in the Min River Basin.” This research aims to provide a comprehensive solution—combining theoretical depth, cultural richness, and practical feasibility—for the digital transformation of Qiang folk dance education, the living transmission of Qiang dance culture, and the cultivation of high-quality, professional teaching staff.

Key Words：

virtual reality technology; motion capture; Qiang folk dance; dance instruction; teaching experiments; teacher training; digital preservation