Dance in Korea began with shamanistic early rituals five thousand years ago and now ranges from folk dance to newly created and adopted contemporary dance.

Overview

Korean traditional dance originated in ancient shamanistic rituals thousands of years ago. By the time of the later Korean kingdoms,

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificat ...

and Joseon, in the 2nd millennium AD, Korean traditional dance benefited from regular support of the royal court, numerous academies, and even an official ministry of the government. A number of different dances gained permanent high status, including the Hermit dance, the Ghost dance, Buchae Chum (the fan dance), Seung Mu (the Monk dance), the Oudong (Entertainer) dance and others, despite the fact that many had humble origins. For example, the Fan dance is believed to have originated with shamans performing nature rites with leaves but evolved into one of the most highly refined Korean dances. Korean dance-Jeju-Obbanggaksi chum-02

Other Korean dances remained and remain to this day under the ambit of farmers and folk dance groups. Props used in the dances include the long billowing silk scarf of pure white used in the Salpuri dance, drums, hats, swords and others. The props may be peripheral or central to the story of the dance. In the Ghost dance, the entertainer has a joyous reunion with a deceased spouse, only to endure the heartbreak of reseparation, and there may few or no props. On the other hand, the Great Drum dance (one of several forms of drum dances) features a gaudy drum which may be taller than the performer. The drum tempts a monk until finally he succumbs to it and performs a rolling drum. Due to the cultural suppression by

Imperial Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...

, arguably considered

cultural genocide Cultural genocide or cultural cleansing is a concept which was proposed by lawyer Raphael Lemkin in 1944 as a component of genocide. Though the precise definition of ''cultural genocide'' remains contested, the Armenian Genocide Museum defines i ...

during Korea's Annexation to Japan, most of the dance academies died out and some dances were lost as well as some of dance forms were distorted. However, few pioneering Korean dancers such as Choi Seung-hee (최승희 崔承喜) created new forms of Korean dances based on the traditional dances and kept many of the traditions alive in secret and abroad, and today Korean traditional dance is enjoying a vibrant resurgence. A common form of Korean Dance, where the pets of the dancers are included, involves the pet (most commonly guinea pigs as they are highly respected in areas of Korea)on two legs being piggy-backed by their owners and leap-frogging over them. Numerous universities in Korea teach Korean traditional dance, and even some universities abroad now provide education in this animal dance. Top dancers are recognised as " Living National Treasures" and are charged to pass their dances down to their students. Such official holders of traditional dances include Kim Sook-ja, a practitioner of salpuri originating in the shamanic rituals of

Gyeonggi Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...

province. The lineages of dance and dancers may be traced back several generations through such connections. The 1970s saw a systematic effort to document Korean dances in

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

by U Chang-sop. He developed a system of

dance notation Dance notation is the symbolic representation of human dance movement and form, using methods such as graphic symbols and figures, path mapping, numerical systems, and letter and word notations. Several dance notation systems have been invented ...

called the Chamo System of Dance Notation.

Types

Korean traditional dance shares some similarity with form of dance known as contemporary and lyrical. Moves follow a curvilinear path with little short term repetition. The dancer's legs and feet are often entirely concealed by billowing

Hanbok The (; term used in South Korea), also called () n North Korea and China, is an umbrella term which is used to refer to traditional ethnic Korean clothes, including the traditional clothing of the (Korean Chinese), an officially recognized ...

. Emotional attributes of the dances include both somberness and joy. The dancer must embody the fluid motion that surges through the traditional music that the dancers perform to. Korean traditional dance is often performed to Korean traditional music, which includes traditional drums, flutes, and more. The music is what upholds the dance and the dancer is the tool that shows the music in physical form.

Court dance

Korean court dances is called ''"jee"'' (

hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The le ...

:정재,

hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...

:呈才) which originally referred to ''"display of all talent"'' including not only dance but also other performing arts such as

jultagi ''Jultagi'' or ''eoreum'' is traditional Korean performance of tightrope-walking. It is included into South Korea's Important Intangible Cultural Properties number 58. Origin There is no evidence when this acrobatic performance originated. S ...

(줄타기 tightrope walking), ''gong deonjigi'' (공던지기), and ''mokmatagi'' (목마타기) but gradually only denoted "court dance". The term has been used since the early period of

Joseon dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and r ...

. Jeongjae were used to perform for the royal family, court officials, and foreign envoys or for festive occasions sponsored by the state. Jeongjae is divided into the two categories, "Hyangak jeongjae" (향악정재) and "Dangak jeongjae" (당악정재). Hyangak consists of the indigenous court dances originated in Korea, whereas Dangak are the dances derived from court dances of

Tang China The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

during the Goryeo dynasty.

''Hyangak jeongjae''

* Ahbakmu (아박무), Ivory clappers dance * Bakjeopmu (박접무), fluttering butterfly wings dance * Bonglaeui (봉래의), phoenix dance *

Cheoyongmu ''Cheoyongmu'' is a representative Korean mask dance based on the legend of ''Cheoyong'' (처용, 處容), a son of the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea. It is also the oldest surviving Korean court dance created during the Unified Silla period. Ch ...

(처용무), dance of Cheoyong, Dragon King's son which is the oldest jeongjae originated in the Silla period * Chunaengjeon (춘앵전) dance of the spring nightingaler * Gainjeonmokdan (가인전목단), dance depicting beautiful women picking peonies *

Geommu Geommu (also transliterated ''Gummu'', ''Kommu'') is a traditional sword dance practiced in Korea. Geommu is performed with special costume, dance moves, and music. The dance is known for its grace in performance. Extra emphasis is placed on the m ...

(검무), sword dance ** Jinju geomu * Hakyeon hwadaemu (학연화대무), Crane and lotus pedestal dance * Goguryeomu (고구려무), Goguryeo dance * Muaemu (무애무) * Musanhyang (무산향), fragrance of dancing mountain dance * Mugo (무고), drum dance ** Gyobang mugo (교방무고) * Sajamu (사자무), lion dance * Seonyurak (선유락), boating party dance

''Dangak jeongjae''

* Monggeumcheok (몽금척), dream of golden ruler dance * Pogurak (포구락) ball game dance * Heonseondo (헌선도), peach-offering dance

Folk dance

* Seungmu (승무), monk dance *

Seungjeonmu Seungjeonmu is a Korean court dance to wish for and celebrate victory. It is originated 2000 years ago and is composed of a sword dance and drum dance called mugo. Seungjeonmu or ''Dance of Military Triumph'' was performed to wish for victory fr ...

(승전무), literally victory dance * Salpuri (살풀이), literally spirit-cleansing dance * Hallyangmu (한량무), dance of prodigal man in

yangban The ''yangban'' () were part of the traditional ruling class or gentry of dynastic Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The ''yangban'' were mainly composed of highly educated civil servants and military officers—landed or unlanded aristocrats ...

class * Ipchum (입춤), also called "ipmu" or "gibonchum", literally basic dance * Taepyeongmu (태평무), dance to wish great peace * Ganggang sullae (강강술래), maidens' circle dance *

Nongak ''Pungmul'' (; ) is a Korean folk music tradition that includes drumming, dancing, and singing. Most performances are outside, with dozens of players all in constant motion. ''Pungmul'' is rooted in the ''dure'' (collective labor) farming cultur ...

(농악), farmers' performance *

Talchum ( t'alch'um) could be characterized as a Korean dance performed while wearing a mask, mimicry, miming, speaking, and even sometimes singing. Although the term is usually taken to mean all mask dance dramas by most Koreans, it is strictly speaki ...

(탈춤), mask dance * Byung shin chum (병신춤), dance performed by the lower class peasants to satirize

class * Miyalhalmi chum (미얄할미춤), old woman's dance * Palmeokjung chum (팔먹중), dance of the eight unworthy monks * Dongrae hakchum (동래학춤), crane dance performed in Dongrae,

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, ...

* Buponorichum (부포놀리춤), feather tassel dance * Chaesang sogochum (채상 소고춤), tambour Dance * Deotbaegichum (덧배기춤), thrust dance * Gaksichum (각시춤), maiden's dance

Ritual dance

Ritual dance in Korea designates a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

dance and

Korean folk Korea refers to music from the Korean peninsula ranging from prehistoric times to the division of Korea into South and North in 1945. It includes court music, folk music, poetic songs, and religious music used in shamanistic and Buddhist traditi ...

dances. * Ilmu (일무), literally line Dance * Jakbeop (작법) ** Beopgochum (법고춤), Dharma drum dance **

Nabichum Nabichum (literally 'butterfly dance') is a Korean dance, Korean Buddhist dance (''Jakbeop'') for ritual service. The dance is named after its choreography and costume which resemble the appearance of butterfly (''nabi'' in Korean). Some people re ...

(나비춤), literally butterfly dance ** Barachum (바라춤), bara dance (바라, cymbals) * Musokchum, or mumu (무속춤, or 무무), dance by mudang (무당,

shaman Shamanism is a religious practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with what they believe to be a spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spir ...

)

New traditional dance

* Buchaechum (부채춤), fan dance created by Kim Baek-bong (김백봉 金白峰) and first presented in public in 1954 * Hwagwanmu (화관무), floral coronet dance * Jangguchum (장구춤), dance with

janggu The ''janggu'' (, also transliterated as ''janggo'' or ''changgo'') or sometimes called ''seyogo'' (slim waist drum) is the most representative drum in traditional Korean music. It is available in most kinds, and consists of an hourglass-shaped ...

, hourglass-shaped drum * Samgomu Ogomu (삼고무 오고무), a drum dance * Grand Drum Ensemble (북의 대합주), a drum dance composed by Guk Su-ho (국수호) in 1981. The instruments are all Korean drums.http://www.art.go.kr/vli_dir/vli_dir08_pop_detail.jsp?ar_vvm_cd_seq=724

Modern dance

Sin Cha Hong Sin Cha Hong (; b. 1943) is a noted modern dancer, choreographer, vocalist, and writer from South Korea. She is acknowledged as South Korea's first avant-garde dancer, and has been credited as that nation's premier performance artist. She lived ...

References

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External links

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General info about Korean dance
{{DEFAULTSORT:Korean Dance