The purpose of this study was to investigate an aspect of dancing transformation and its social meaning in the late Japanese occupation of Korea. Japanese had strengthened a war footing immediately after the Sino-Japanese War in 1937, and then they had controlled the daily lives of Korean people thoroughly by applying fascism to them. Regarding dancing, Japanese made Korean people be the actual new imperial citizens (Hwang-guk-sin-min) by calling it the national dancing, and Korean people couldn't help adapting to a new system of dancing. The new system of dancing was applied under the name of 'Emotional education for cheerful and rich life', but it was how to standardize Korean people. As for stage performing art, Japanese-oriented performances had appeared and there was A Song of Remembrance for Buyeo (Buyeohoisanggok) as a prominent performance. Buyeohoisanggok was created for 'Korea and Japan are One' policy by the Japanese Government General of Korea, National Total Chosun-Federation, and the Daehan-maeil-sinbo (newspaper), and it was a representative performance of propaganda. In addition, Japanese presumed upon Choi Seung-Hee's ability for Hwang-guk-sin-min and 'Korea and Japan are One' policy. In the early 1940s, she had advocated 'oriental dance' and created lots of performances under the influence of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. Furthermore, she had donated profits came from performance to Japanese government under the name of contribution for nation, so she cooperated with Japanese half-willingly and half not. Akgeuk, which was the most closely related with the public, also accepted new changes through dance drama. The musical drama played a role of escapeway to forget the pain of the age for a little while through a peripheral stimuli. As the above, dancing in the late Japanese occupation of Korea had been transformed in sympathy with the stream of times.

The purpose of this study is to identify the implications of Jing dance in individual performance of Honam Woodo Nong-ak Pangut which faces the crisis of the tradition preservation through the analysis of socio-cultural context and structure. To be concrete, it specifically explores Jing dance in the style of Park Ok-joo which is derived from Honam Woodo Nong-ak and attempts to understand the inherent implications of Jing dance. Therefore, this study tries to deduce the inherent implications of Jing dance by exploring the life of Park Ok-joo, the socio-historical backgrounds of Jing dance in the style of Park Ok-joo, and the components of Jing dance in the style of Park Ok-joo. The results are as follows. First of all, Jing dance in the style of Park Ok-joo was transformed from the masculine dance which had passed down from old time to the feminine dance. Secondly, it is the technical dance to expand the boundary of stick-stroke. Thirdly, it is the dance of Nanjang (reckless beating) to elicit catharsis. Fourthly, it is the dance of extemporization consist of insertion and competition. Based on the implications stated above, this study provides general basic materials to inspire the attention for Jing dance which has been unremembered for a long time in order to let the legacy continue. It is expected that this study can make an opportunity or opening the new horizon of investigating Jing dance and promoting multifarious follow-up studies as well.

The purpose of this thesis is to interpret contemporary ballet work Cinderella via feminist perspectives. The effort of theoretician feminists affected feminism in the eighteen-century (18th). The Feminist movements showed new research about women’s dance, in particular to the changes in the understanding of woman's body movements and the interpretation of female dance. Furthermore, contemporary dance focused more on the feminist view. The literature review of this study found that various research studies accepted the effects of feminism on common arts and dance. Using Janet Adshed’s dance analysis methods, this study examined Jean-Christophe Maillot's contemporary ballet Cinderella focusing on the dance movement patterns of the wicked stepmother and two stepsisters. This study used the performance video to analyze the movement patterns in Maillot's Cinderella. On feminist viewpoints, firstly, the wicked stepmother and two stepsisters were not shy when they were looking at men. Their movements freely expressed their passions and feelings. Also, their acting displayed such the emotions as joy, sorrow, and anger without inhibition. Secondly, the movements of the wicked stepmother and two stepsisters showed passion and feminist feeling in their Pas de deux employing liberated movements of their chests. Accordingly, the wicked stepmother and two stepsisters had a strong liberal inclination. The relationship between Cinderella's father and the stepmother has control. The findings of this study suggest that Maillot's Cinderella be interpreted and understood in the realm of feminism and feminist theories.

In the second volume of the book Samguk Yusa (The History of Three Kingdoms), Cheoyong appears as a son of the Dragon King of the sea in an era of King Heongang of Silla. He got married to a beautiful wife from Silla. One day, as he came home late, he discovered that his wife was sleeping with a god of epidemic. Looking at the scene, Cheoyong chased away the god by singing and dancing. In this folk tale, the meaning of each characters is interpreted as follows: the god of epidemic means disease, his wife means a patient, and Cheoyong himself means a dance therapist. I approached Cheoyong Dance as an act that he defeated the god. In this paper, I would like to develop a new therapeutic Cheoyong Dance for promoting health by combining traditional Cheoyong Dance and Gigong Exercise. This will be the way to approach the public easily as another role of healthy Cheoyong Dance. The combining Cheoyong Dance with Gigong exercise will be the way of promoting healthy life and wellbeing.

The interface of technology tends to limit human movement as the body adapts particular movement patterns to interact with a machine. The multi-touch gesture interface employed by a smartphone also demands a user's certain movement patterns in order to deliver his or her tactile command to the machine more effectively and efficiently. This study aims to observe and analyze the movement of smartphone users and to identify its characteristics associated with the use of such a device. To demonstrate this, 30 second-long movement samples were collected from three different smartphone users and fully investigated at a micro and macro level based on Laban Movement Analysis and Bartenieff Fundamentals (LMA/BF). The findings of this study suggest that smartphone users tend to stay in the same Shape Form with the same size of Kinesphere for a period of time and use distal parts of the body with relatively small movements. The actions frequently performed are touching and sliding, which mostly show one-dimensional directionality; and stillness. In sum, the Inner/Outer movement theme is predominant in the context of using a smartphone as users exist in the inner world or make a bridge to the environment by attending to the device or to themselves according to different inner needs to manipulate the device or to take information from it.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the aesthetic characteristics of traditional dances by Im Ijo, especially analyzing his use of coquetry. Im not only trained in traditional dances such as seungmu (monk’s dance) and salpuri (shamanic mourning dance), but is also a significant choreographer who developed gyobang salpuri, hwaseonmu, and hallyangmu. His dances may be regarded as neo-traditional Korean dances because they share the same aesthetic characteristics and show the beauty of coquetry and moderation. The basis of the beauty of coquetry in the Im’s dances can be seen as a reproduction of gyobang. His dance expresses the image of gyobang as performance art, aiming to create an open space for communication with the audience. Im’s dances reveal coquetry via costumes or various objects; in gyobang salpuri for example, he focused on gyobang rather than salpuri to create a coquettish image by contrasting complementary colors in the skirt and jeogori. His curvy skirt emphasizes the beauty of curves to shift the dancing style and directions naturally in life with the costume. The traditional skirt, jeogori, and small shapely Korean socks in hwaseonmu express a figure of a prim and proper woman. His beauty of coquetry was transformed from the experience of inner structure taught by Yi Maebang, and the acquisition of the ideational images of Eun Bangcho. Im’s dances are gentle without excessiveness and bright and gorgeous without overflow; this property was achieved through harmonizing the splendid expression of Eun Bangcho and the calmness of Yi Maebang with the breathing, discipline, and intelligence of Kim Sukja.

This study explores the dance activities of Choi Seung-hee in Japan, focusing on her image strategies around 1935. Analysis was conducted on the Sai Shoki Pamphlet (Volumes 1-3), a pictorial magazine produced for the dancer. Particularly, this study deals with the period following her second trip to Japan when she proved her potential as a new creative dancer. 1933-1937 was the high point in her career, culminating in her trip to the US. In particular, her dance activities right after her trip to Japan marked a critical period in her dance career in Japan. That is when Sai Shoki Pamphlet was published. The pictorial magazine includes a detailed record of her dance performances for two years from September 1934 to November 1936. Her full-fledged dance activities began in September 1934 with the 1st New Dance Work performance of Choi Seung-hee. Sai Shoki Pamphlet was created to promote Choi Seung-hee only. It includes critiques and reviews by Japanese artists and cultural professionals regarding her dance. It also contains product ads promoted by Choi Seung-hee and her dance photos. The photos, product ads, and cover design are explored in this study, to understand her image strategy at that time. Review of Sai Shoki Pamphlet exploring her dance activities as a Korean dancer is crucial for identifying her image. This study sheds light on her activities in Japan from various angles ranging from the planning objectives to the production process and effects of the magazine. The findings reveal all her activities in Japan during the 1930s through a more detailed empirical study.

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of learning Korean dance among college students in America. The research questions how people of other cultures view changes in Korean dance through study, what beneficial changes occur, and how experiences are meaningful to them. To answer these questions, this study primarily relied on in-depth and semi-structured interviews with college students (4 Americans, 1 Chinese, and 1 African), in Massachusetts, who studied Korean traditional dance through a series of 19 classes, beginning on September 16th, 2014 and ending with a performance on March 3rd, 2015. All interviews were fully transcribed before the files were segmented and the subjects conceptualized using assigned codes. The results of this study are divided into three parts. First, before learning Korean dance, the research participants perceived it to be an interesting but unfamiliar dance, which they recognized from Korean Wave, and an elegant and beautiful dance, different from K-pop. After learning Korean dance, they perceived it to have flow and moderate strength. They believed that it allowed them to recognize their inner consciousness and be aware of their surroundings, facilitating communication with both. Participants also felt that the dance healed the spirit through deliberate movement, that it allowed the body’s energy to increase through concentration, that it coordinated the body’s movements organically, and that it symbolized the lives, philosophy, and respect for creation of the Korean people. Second, participants changed in four beneficial areas through study of Korean dance: 1) their strength, control, coordination, balance, and individual expression improved; 2) their awareness, memory, patience, focus, creativity, ability to communicate, sense of responsibility, mental coordination and control, and thoughtfulness improved; 3) they had a more positive attitude and perspective; and 4) they felt that they embodied the qualities of the Korean people, such as respect, elegance, and slowing down. Third, learning Korean dance was meaningful to the participants in the following four areas: 1) it was a challenge and an accomplishment, 2) they gained familiarity with Korean culture, 3) they became ambassadors for Korean culture, and 4) they felt both special and professional.

This paper investigated the characteristics of guna, which are ritual actions to dispel epidemics, by analyzing the structure of formative meaning and circulation in palmokjungchum (the dance of eight mokjung), the second chapter of Korea’s traditional Bongsan mask dance. Figures in this research depict images of a dance performance that took place on May 31, 1992, which were provided by the Society for Preserving Bongsan Mask Dance. The second chapter of the dance was divided into three structural stages: an appearance of the first mokjung, the one-to-one entrance and exit of the eight mokjung, and the circulating structure of the rotating dance. The findings are as follows. First, the choreography of the first mokjung was incremental, representing the qualities of wood (木), which is one of the five primary elements. The dance during this stage embodies birth and growth through the union of yin and yang and emulates this natural phenomenon. Just as circulation is found in nature, epidemics retreat on their own accord during the ritual of guna. Second, the characteristics of guna are depicted by the one-to-one entrance and exit of the mokjung and by repetition of the same choreography. The entrances and exits are repeated, signifying the circulating relationship of yin and yang. The yin-yang juxtaposition of the mokjung is depicted by different characters, who go back and forth between confrontation and union. This alternation is indicative off the presence of circulation in nature, where time is continuously pushed back and replaced by subsequent time. This concept is represented by the character of guna, who dispels epidemics. Third, the number eight is the number of divination, and when laid out in circular forms, it illustrates the principle of circulation. The beginning and end of the line forms a circle, and the dance by the palmokjung incorporates continuous rotational moves (juibusi) that are reminiscent of the nature-emulating circulation observed in the Cheoyongmu (the dance of Cheoyong). The two dances share epidemic-dispelling characteristics. This indicates that in the second chapter of the Bongsan mask dance, nature’s circulation is a key motive for the choreography, which reveals the righteousness and confidence of nature, unbiased by any of the four seasons. Like nature, epidemics have a structure in which the old is inevitably replaced by the new. The primary characteristic of guna relates to how epidemics retreat from confrontation, where two opposing forces are not able to overcome the other, which is based on the principle of harmonious existence between yin and yang. The objectives of this study were to provide a more insightful understanding of the unique ideas and beliefs inherent in Korea’s traditional Bongsan mask dance and to provide a foundation for more diversified perspectives in the study and understanding of traditional Korean culture.