This article examines how two ballet competitions influenced the decision of students in the Klang Valley to pursue ballet as a career. Although learning ballet is generally considered a leisure activity in Malaysia, a growing number of ballet competitions in the Klang Valley has influenced students to pursue ballet seriously as a discipline. Using ethnographic research by interviews and archival research, this essay analyzes how two ballet competitions have become commodified through branding strategies, dance competition categories, fees, and scholarships. My analysis of interviews with competition organizers, ballet school principals, ballet teachers, and students suggests that competition organizers commodify ballet competitions for economic opportunities. Nevertheless, the scholarships and opportunities offered by ballet competitions to prestigious ballet institutions overseas have encouraged students in the Klang Valley to pursue careers in ballet. As a result of participating in competitions, students have taken ballet training more seriously, resulting in a higher demand for coaching, thus generating greater capital flow into the ballet industry in Malaysia. Throughout this study, the importance of the intersection between dance and economy is highlighted.

Based on the concept of "différence" proposed by Deleuze, the purpose of this study is to explore the philosophy of ‘creation and extinction’ in Korean creative dance through an analysis of Cha Soo jung's piece 淸, Open the Blue Sea(2021). Applying Deleuze’s notion of différence to this piece, the sea in 淸, Open the Blue Sea is not the place of death, but of life, and courage for life. Consequently, this study discovers the potential of expanded interpretation of dance as a space for humanities and thoughts by examining its association with the concept of différence, which re-generates the true meaning of life through death. Further, it is essential to examine the possibilities of expression within Korean creative dance by analyzing how dance art elements are connected in the work 淸, Open the Blue Sea to symbolize the place of Cheong's death and the sea through a reinterpretation of Korean classical literature.

This paper analyzes the author’s piece entitled “After Beginning and Before the End”, which explores the relationship between the creation process of Chinese characters and dance, drawing upon the Tao-te-ching of Laozi. As per Laozi’s concept of ‘Tao’, all creation changes from a simple to a complex state, with a wide variety of possibilities in the process. We intended to make the rediscovery of all creation suggested in the Tao-te-ching of Laozi into a piece of a choreography by applying the minimum unit of Chinese characters and their shapes as the principle for generating dance movement. This research proposes the method of dance composition from the perspective of the redevelopment of all creation presented in Laozi’s Tao-te-ching.

“Die Braut von Korea” (The Bride of Korea), a ballet composed by Josef Bayer and written by Heinrich Regel, premiered in the K. k. Hof-Operntheater (Imperial Royal Court Theatre) in Vienna, Austria on May 22, 1897. The ballet consists of four acts and nine scenes depicting a fictional love story between the Prince of Korea and his bride Daisha, against the backdrop of the Sino-Japanese War (1894 95). This ballet was performed 38 times in Vienna and 14 times in the Hamburgische Staatsoper (Hamburg State Opera) in 1899, but it disappeared suddenly from the ballet performance schedule in Vienna after 1901.

This study aims to analyze “Die Braut von Korea” based on recently published sheet music as well as articles of newspapers and magazines of the time, and explore why it was abruptly removed from the repertoire of the Imperial Royal Court Theatre in Vienna. First, we review the context in which the piece was produced as well as its popularity and status through the examination of historical records regarding the piece. Then, we discuss its composition and characteristics, and finally, explore the reasons for its sudden disappearance from the ballet repertoire in 1901.

This paper investigated the theme ‘creation’ with the focus on the Korean traditional dances. At first, the problems in the creation of existing Korean dances were analyzed. Through the analysis, the creative factors lacking in individual characteristics were presented and the introduction of the western-oriented concept of creation was critically examined. On the basis of the awareness on the difference of artistic concept between eastern and western world, the concept of creation was discussed in the transmission history of dances. Next, the frame of reference for the creation of the traditional dance was presented. It includes the formation of lines and surfaces through principle of circulation, the formation of dance styles based on the traditional breath method, the approach to interpret rhythms and the application of steps. In conclusion, the events inducing the creation of traditional dances were identified and presented in the ancient literature.

This research is about the performances of Korean immigrant art troupe, from Russia’s Vladivostok maritime province (Yonhaeju : Prismorsky Krai), that visited Korea in the early 1920s. Initially the performances aimed to raise funds to build churches and help Koreans in Russia suffering from economic difficulties due to prolonged droughts and the civil war in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution. However, the performances gained nationwide popularity, introducing Western folk music and dancing to Korea, which became the driving force in spreading a dance craze throughout the country. These performances significantly influenced the history of Korean modern dance, best exemplified by Cho Taek-Won who was first introduced to modern dance by the troupe’s performances and who became one of three new dance (Shinmuyong) pioneers. It is rare in the field of Diaspora Studies that cultural influences come from the outside the mother country, as in the case of the Korean-Russian art troupe. This research, from the perspective of the Diaspora (in the socio-cultural context of the troupe as they were caught between Russia’s civil war, in the period after the 1917 Revolution through 1922, and Korea under occupation by imperial Japan) shows the characteristics and meaning of the performances on the history of Korean modern dance, through analysis of performance activities and structures, member composition, the role of major leaders, and the troupe’s repertory of performances. At the same time, this study provides a foundation to understand the Korean Diaspora in Russia Like Lee Kang, Han Yong-Hun and Kwak Byuing-Gyu, the leaders of the Korean art troupe in Russia were leaders of the religious community who had participated in the Korean Independence Movement in the maritime province of Russia. Most of them were non-professionals and each group had a small number of members. Their art form followed “Estrada,” a typical people’s performing art which were popular folk dance touring performances in Russia at the time. In the history of modern dance in Korea, the significance of the performances of the Korean immigrant art troupe from Russia is as follows. First, as the initial overseas Korean performing arts group, they inspired Koreans to pay attention to the problems of overseas Koreans through the promotion of their visit to Korea; they helped build a national identity across borders. Secondly, this art troupe, as part of the Korean Diaspora, became a cultural bridge between people in Korea and Koreans in Russia. Lastly, the art troupe supported the Korean Independence Movement. However, the performances were forced to stop, for political reasons, by the birth of the Soviet Union on December 30, 1922. Research methods include literature and library research, field surveys, including existing literature in the National Russian Library of East Asian Literature, materials made from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs kept in the National Institute of Korean History, Dong-A Ilbo, Mae-il Shinnbo, and Sunbong, the Korean newspaper published in the maritime province of Russia.

In studying dance history of Korea, diverse patterns of dance are discovered in murals, historical remains, and royal rites. Then, how should dances contained in visual materials be understood? This study aims to examine the method of analyzing dance depicted in paintings to research the history of dance. To that end, Panofsky’s iconological method, used in researching the history of fine art, was used to examine dances depicted in murals. Research was conducted in the following procedure. First, the concept and principle of iconology, focused on the historical background of iconography and iconology, were reviewed, and recent iconological arguments were examined. Second, how to apply the iconological method to dance was discussed. Third, through Panofsky’s iconological gradual analysis method, the iconography of the right-hand mural in Goguryeo Jangcheon No. 1 Tomb’s Anterior Chamber was described and analyzed to define its meaning. The findings of this study are outlined as follows. According to previous iconological description, the iconography of dance depicted in the right-hand mural in Jangcheon No. 1 Tomb’s Anterior Chamber features a Goguryeo person performing both-arm dance and lotus dance to the accompaniment of a string instrument. According to the iconological analysis, the dancer performs Buddhist-faith funeral dance. Such ritual dance contains the cult of wishing the dead person’s soul will well reach the nether world, as well as the wish that the dead person will lead a happy life in the nether world. According to the iconological interpretation, Goguryeo sleeve dance changed and developed into today’s Hansam, Jangsam and other diverse sleeve dances. Goguryeo dance contains the essential life meaning, and although the themes and concepts of dance may vary according to times and works, all dances are the expression of life and the heart of wishing for a good life; thus, the life, the essence of Goguryeo, was analyzed as the universal essence and inherent meaning of Korean dance. This study is significant in that it prepared a framework to research dances depicted in paintings, and proved that iconology can contribute to diverse analyses in researching the history of dance. Iconological research on dances illustrated in visual materials is expected to continue.

This study focuses on analyzing how Han is embedded and characterized in a traditional folk dance, Seung-mu, and its relationship to the Korean culture and dance. This research employs literature reviews for the concept of Han and historical background of Seung-mu and Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) for an objective analysis of movements. The findings of the analysis are as the follow. A combination of slowly Rising lower body, gradually Opening arm and Growing torso movements is created by very strict control from the core and Breath Support and is accomplished by a Mobile State—Bound and Sustained—Effort constellation with a moment of inhalation. Continuously following Scattering arm and throwing long sleeve movement accompanies with a moment of exhalation, which comes with Diminished Strong, Free, and Quick Passion Drive Effort. Then, highly controlled outpouring exhalation directs a smooth knee bend and arm close with following soft curves of the long sleeves. The intensely controlled breath supports Sinking Shape Qualities in whole body and inner energy stream smoothly comes back to previous Mobile State, Bound and Sustained Quality. These particularly sequenced movement qualities creating a movement phrase mean a qualitative pattern of the Seung-mu and also reflect the emotional transforming process of Han. The Bound and restricted characteristics signifying strictly controlled inner impulses of lamentation, in Seung-mu refer to a tragic history and strong social restrictions like taboo within the traditional society of Korean people. The hurt and lamenting feelings from their tragic fates are transformed into the artistically refined expressivity with the embodiments of positive and peaceful feelings in Seung-mu.

Compare to the other arts forms, dance as an intangible performing arts foam is restricted in records. Until the photo and video materials were actively utilized for recording dance, the dance was only remained in memories of dancers and audience members who experienced the dance site of those times. Recently dance oral history is beginning to apply for writing new dance history. While dance oral history offers to dancers to testify their own histories, it makes dance people to participate in writing dance history. Thus, oral history scripts on dance that is dance peoples’ oral texts can expend horizon of dance history’s writing. In present, historical resources on the 20th century’s Korean dance, particularly in the period of Korean Liberation (1945~1948) and the period of Korea War (1950~1953) are poor as if these periods are vacuity. Even if some documents related to these periods are existed, those contents are the event, the dancer, the dance work, the dance criticism, and dance organization which are limited evidence of these periods. On the other hands, oral history scripts on dance related to these periods provide vivid historical evidences on cultural environments and real situations of dance production and dancers. Because those oral texts were created by voices of senior dancers who lived in these periods. Futhermore, the scripts clue in on anthological, sociological, and psychological resources related to the dancer or dance trends in these two periods. Therefore, applications of oral history scripts on dance enable to write on deeper historical themes, such as the dancer’s identity, changes of aesthetics, trends of dance creation, dance policies, and dance agencies in the 20th century. The purpose of this study is how to overcoming limitations of writing on the 20th century’s Korean dance history through the oral history scripts on dance. First of all, the researcher analyzed two dance history books, Hangguk Hyeondae Yesulsa Daegye I [An Outline of Arts History of the Korean Modern Period] and Woori Muyong Baeknyeon [100 Years of Korean Dance]. Then, the vacancy and the errs related to the period of Korean Liberation and the period of Korea War that discovered in those two books were made up with the texts of oral history on dance that completed in 2008 and 2009 by the Arts Resource Center of the Arts Council Korea. In result, this study has attempt to open new horizon for writing on history of the 20th century’s Korean dance. Even though this study first attempts to apply the oral history text of senior dancers for writing dance history, the trail is limited to supplying new historical facts. That is, the study could not developed to writing new dance history because previous resources were so poverty than the researcher had expected. In the future the oral history scripts would aid not only dance history researchers to write alternative dance history, but also to discover counter memories compare to the previous dance history books.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the images of dancing women in the Korean novels from the 1910s to the 1950s and to investigate the relevant social discourse and cultural context at that time. This study focuses on the Korean novels as the research materials and the media to reflect the people’s awareness and social aspects of the times. The 6 novels selected through the material collecting process over 3 sessions are 『Moojeong』, 『Bokdeokbang』, 『Mooseong-gyeokja』, 『Seoul』, 『Sawhasan』, 『Silbimyeong』. The substantive characteristics and relational characteristics of dancing women appeared in the novels are arranged by type through text analysis. Their social implications are also explored. As a result, the images of dancing women appeared in the Korean novels are as follows. First, as the substantive characteristics of dancing women in the Korean novels, the number of dancing women appeared in the 6 novels is total 8. Their occupations and social activities are found to be Gisaengs, dancers, the students to prepare for being dancers. Second, as the relational characteristics of dancing women in the Korean novels, the relationships between main characters and dancing women are found to be classified into sexual relations and familiar relations. Third, the social implications of dancing women in the Korean novels are deducted from the opposite social awareness on Gisaeng and modern-girl dancer and the demands of the times on dancing women. It is expected that dance culture research would be enhanced and the close relationship between women and dance would be investigated if the follow-up studies to analyze the contemporary novels from the 1960s to the 2000s with the identical standards to this study are conducted. In addition, it is also expected that this study can contribute to the research on the Korean modern dance culture.