Defining Self: Performing Chinese Identity Through Dance in Belfast

This paper takes an auto-ethnographic approach to questions of belonging and inclusion through anthropological analysis of my own experience as a Chinese dancer in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The Chinese community in Belfast has been well established since the 1970s, retaining a distinctive identity within a city dominated by ‘British’ and ‘Irish’ ethnici-ties. Dance plays a significant role in communal ceremonies and festivals as a symbol and enactment of Chinese identity. As a Beijing trained Chinese dancer who came to Belfast as a postgraduate student, I found myself playing a significant role in the expression of Chinese identity within the city, and having emotional experiences when dancing which were differ-ent to those I had experienced in China. These experiences led me to reflect upon the sources of my own identity as a Chinese person