Korean Dance

Korea has an exceptionally rich dance culture and, as in most Asian countries, Korean
traditional theatre also employs dance or at least a dance-like, stylised movement
technique. The Korean dance technique seems to stem from shamanism, as the dance
movements grow from breathing, regulated according to the tempo of the music.
The tempo is often slow, while the series of movements are characterised by a legato-
like quality with an alternation between tension and relaxation. The steps flow. The flow
is, however, frozen every now and then into sudden poses.

The feet, which are usually covered with white socks, are rarely lifted from the floor.
Symbolic hand gestures are not employed, but arms and hands are extended to
elegant, linear poses.
Arm movements dominate the dance, while they naturally grow from breathing, which in
Korean philosophy is linked with spirit (ki). Thus the focal point is on the chest and lung
area, while the dance appears as a physical manifestation of a deep, personal emotion.
Many of the religious processions include dance and dancing musicians. Their dance
employs other kinds of techniques, which are shared with many of the more lively folk
dances. They are not included in this text. The forms of Korean traditional dance are
classified here as follows:
1. Shamanistic dance,
2. Ritual dances (Buddhist and Confucian),
3. Court dances,
4. Dances of the professional entertainers,
5. Traditional dances adapted in the 20th century for the modern stage.
HISTORY OF KOREAN DANCE

Korean traditional dance originated in ancielnt shamanistic rituals thousands of years

ago. By the time of the later Korean kingdoms, Goryeo 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.

Jeju obbang gaksichum, a variety of gaksichum and one of dances consisting

of Tamraguk Ibchun gutnori which had ceased due to the cultural suppression
by Imperial Japan during Korea's annexation to Japan[1]
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 "orgy."

Due to the cultural suppression by Imperial Japan, arguably considered cultural

genocide during Korea's Annexation to Japan,[2][3] most of the dance academies died
out and some dances were lost[1] as well as some of dance forms were distorted.
[4] 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,[5] 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.[citation needed] 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 province.[6] 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 by U
Chang-sop. He developed a system of dance notation called the Chamo System of
Dance Notation.[7]