The Dance-based Interdisciplinary Approach (DIA) integrates dance with subjects like music to foster students’ creativity, cognitive skills, and collaborative abilities (Li & Chin, 2024; Rhodes, 2006). China’s 2022 National Arts Curriculum Standards stipulate that dance be integrated into music courses for grades 1-7 and taught as a separate subject in grades 8-9 (Ministry of Education, 2022). However, under a teacher structure dominated by music educators with a shortage of dance specialists, DIA’s advancement is constrained, creating a significant policy-practice gap, with its adoption mechanisms empirically unexplained.To uncover the mechanisms of adoption, this study employed an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, leveraging the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) (Davis, 1989; Lee et al., 2003), among Shanghai’s public school teachers. The design first deployed a questionnaire with 105 teachers to test a predictive model of implementation, examining the statistical relationships between perceived ease of use (PEOU), perceived usefulness (PU), and actual use (AU). Next, semi-structured interviews with nine participants explained the observed statistical patterns. This two-phased approach was chosen to establish the predictive pathways (what) and then to explore the pedagogical reasoning behind them (why).The findings reveal a significant “perception-practice” gap: while teachers reported positive perceptions of DIA’s usefulness (PU; M=3.26) and ease of use (PEOU; M=2.64), their actual implementation was low (AU; M=1.51). Regression and mediation analyses uncovered a critical mechanism: PEOU did not directly predict AU. Instead, it only influenced implementation indirectly by enhancing teachers’ perception of DIA's usefulness (PU). Thus, a belief in “ease of use” must translate into a belief in “usefulness” to drive classroom adoption. Furthermore, a professional background in dance significantly predicted higher implementation. Qualitative data explained this: dance-major teachers tend to center their integration on bodily expression and choreography, whereas music-major teachers use dance as a supplementary tool for rhythm or emotion.This study provides crucial, cross-culturally testable evidence for bridging the gap between educational policy and classroom practice. It concludes that the key to promoting an innovative pedagogy like DIA lies not merely in reducing its difficulty but in demonstrating its tangible effectiveness (i.e., its usefulness). Therefore, providing practical support such as ready-to-use integrated lesson packages and clear assessment tools is essential to accelerate the transformation from “concept” to “implementation.” This framework, which prioritizes showcasing pedagogical effectiveness, offers a valuable model for promoting educational innovations across diverse international contexts.