This study investigates the historical process in which ballet in Korea was constructed as fine art. Particularly, it focuses on the ballet’s abrupt and conspicuous growth right after Korea’s liberation from Japan. By delving into materials of the period including newspapers, this study conducts a discourse analysis to inspect sociocultural meanings of ballet as fine art in Korea. In the early stage of its importation, ballet had several disadvantageous factors to be regarded as fine art. It had linked to aristocratic formality, which was condemned by modern artists. Ballet’s exotic toe dancing thrived in popular entertainments such as revue. A turning point came with Korea’s liberation occurring with the end of the Second World War (WWII) in 1945. The fact that ballet suddenly became important when the need for constructing a modern nation was urgent suggests the nation’s key role in the change. While the international society was restructured by the global norm of nationalism, nations functioned as the agent of culture construction. The nation’s leading role in it freed ballet from commercial arena and from past association with aristocracy. Ballet could claim disinterestedness and public welfare, which were at the core of fine art. For constructors of national culture, ballet was a useful means, since it provided a transnational form that subsumed locality. Also, as a form of tradition, ballet afforded a connection to antiquity which was imagined to be shared throughout the nation. Moreover, ballet’s classicism embodied elegance and order, which were desired during the postwar era. In conclusion, the process of national culture construction was a key for ballet in Korea to be constructed as fine art. Ballet as a national emblem represented the nation’s level of civilization in the international society and a public monument for the members of the nation.

The purpose of this study is to reveal the realistic characteristics of Grotesques Realism in the Songpa Sandae Play, which is one of the Korean mask dancing, by applying Bakhtin's theory. In particular, this study analyzes focusing on interpreting the components of the dancing body as the meaning of "becoming“ The section III analyzes the components of the body, dance, props such as the mask and a doll, the accompanied music, and spatial structure with the framework identified in the discussion on Grotesque Realism. Ultimately, the essence of the grotesque realism of the Songpa Sandae play is to interpret the performer as a leading figure in generating the people's laughter and creating the people culture. Therefore, the study on dance of mask dance that cannot exist beyond the body of the performer needs to be treated with special importance.

The idea of Korean dance that humanity and art should conform to the nature of heaven and earth is in common with Confucius' Confucian thought of Confucius. And it is connected with the aesthetic reason of harmony of right personality and healthy body. This study analyzed the aesthetics of Korean dance through the unity of heaven and human and I Keji Fuli between the as aesthetic feature of Confucian textuality. First, Munmyoilmu has a human the aesthetics nature and aesthetic character with a human the centered feature that makes up the virtue and personality of individuals and further builds a beautiful human society together with oneself and others. Second, the Kang Seon‐yeong style Taepyeongmu Dance endeavors to make a world in which a pervasive behavior affects the social community and all people can live in a society where order is fulfilled. It is a form of harmony and order of the heaven and earth, mediating the sky and the earth. Third, Dongraehakchum Dance with an idle creature of the gentry’s dancing, expresses the moral nobility of Confucianism that the crane possesses. The aesthetic consciousness of the viewer can be seen through the dance of the moral sublime of the coexistence of heaven and earth.

“Nakhwayusu (落花流水)” is the term for a dance move that appears only in Chunaengjeon (春鶯囀) and Cheoyongmu (處容舞). “Nakhwa” means falling flowers and “yusu” means flowing water. Along with these meanings, this study aims to derive a practical image of “nakhwayusu” by comparing the meanings of its various literary expressions. This study also identifies the meanings of “nakhwayusu” used in the dance moves of “jeongjae” and examine the actually performed pattern of this dance move. The contextual flow and intrinsic meaning of “nakhwayusu” were examined through a classification based on the commentaries of 35 literary works from the Joseon Dynasty, and meanings such as Taoist hermit, paradise, retirement, nature, and time were identified. For the term “dohwayusu,” the pattern of quoting and following the expressions shown in “Dohwawongi,” “Sanjungmundap,” and “Eobuga” was confirmed. In the Chunaengjeon text, “nakhwayusu” is juxtaposed with another term “jwauilbuliljeon [to spread the sleeve and turn to the left and then to the right].” In Chunaengjeon, “nakhwayusu” is a utopian paradise with a beautiful fairyland, and the flying and adjusting of the hansam, a long sleeve used for court dances, shown in a colorful and abundant space and the motion of neat rotation can be pictured. In Cheoyongmu, “nakhwayusu” appears in the closing part and is the continuous movement of powerfully spreading the hansam on the shoulder diagonally upwards. Although this dance move somewhat lacks any historical basis in the literature, this move should be understood on the basis of the classics. This study aims to identify the meaning of the poetic term “nakhwayusu” and to understand its characteristics in order to provide a modern successor by laying the groundwork for the practice of jeongjae.

Dancing elements shown in Namsadang Nori organizationally and technologically intervene dramatically expressed performances. The effect of dancing elements is to insert dancing elements appropriate for performance elements, to extend artistic expressive areas, to add the beauty of composition and of form to performances, and to enhance the artistic completeness of performances. In addition, dancing elements combined with arts include aesthetic values to express the vitality and personality of performances and highlight performance characteristics artistically beyond technical skills. For these reasons, dancing elements in Namsadang Nori as a cultural prototype embed considerable significances. The expressive meaning of dance and the extended artistic area speak to the present audience. They also serve as a performance content that diversifies dancing elements.

This study placed importance on being able to track aspects and characteristics of the dances which were popular in the Tang age (唐代) by examining the aspects of several Homu (胡舞) and Daegokakmu(大曲樂舞) shown in Bai Ju Yi (白居易)'s poems(詩). ≪Homu≫ appeared in the poetry and prose described , , and , while ≪Daegok≫ did and with details. ≪Daegok≫ was the dance that was restructured to add more grandeur and beauty. Bai Ju Yi changed ≪Daegok≫ to descriptive poems to make readers understand the organic relationship between its major historical background and figures. In this sense, the dance of the love between Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and Yang in Xi'an and the Emperor Dézōng of Táng (德宗)'s dances about beautiful music were all related to ≪Daegok≫. Thus, ≪Homu≫ and ≪Daegok≫ reviewed in Bai Ju Yi's poems can be found to be related to the foreign dances that were popular in the Tang age, the creative dances based on the traditional songs and dances, and historicity.

Korean ballet has made a great breakthrough both artistically and academically. However, most of the academic research have been conducted focusing on creative or modern ballet, lacking an attention to how a full-act premiere of a classical ballet was first formed. In this study, we aimed at ascertaining historical truth about how the first full-act premiere of performed in October of 1967 at Seoul Civic Center was planned and evolved. We collected and analyzed historical literature materials and conducted as well as conducting interviews with central figures. Our historical contemplation indicated that the premiere of of 1967 was a product of an collaborative efforts from multiple countries and sectors in the society. Also it functioned as an opportunity to let the world realize and experience the artistry and attractiveness of Korean ballet. More importantly, the social value of the premiere of could be found in its ‘catalytic function’ for social integration which elicited voluntary efforts and collaboration for a successful completion of the premiere.

This study aims to understand how the terms ‘muyong (dance)’ and ‘shinmuyong (new dance)’ were initiated, used, and established in Korea through newspapers in the Japanese colonial era such as the Maeil Shinbo, the Dong-A Daily news, and the Chosun Ilbo. The term muyong was first used in Japan, as suggesting a new formal characteristic of being not only Western and but also Japanese. It was simultaneously born with shinmuyong, a term indicating a type of dance newer than the existing one. Shinmuyong indicated an achievement of creation of new Japanese dance that was regarded as being compatible with that of the Western powers. It was an article on the Maeil Shinbo dealing with Yeki, a Japenese dance, on October 7, 1913 that introduced the term muyong to Korea for the first time under Japanese imperialism. In the Dong-A Daily news, muyong represented the term ‘Western dance’ when European tanz theater in 1920s was introduced; it was used to indicate a type of Western dance with philosophy and artistry. The Chosun Ilbo first used the term muyong in its article titled “Western Dance Nowadays” on October 7, 1927. Since then, both mudo and muyong had been used to refer to dance until early 1928, but since late 1928, the use of muyong had increased rapidly in the newspapers and then became generalized. The first article describing classical dance such as geom-mu (a sword dance), a Korean traditional dance, as muyong was the one written by Kim Dong Hwan dated May 12, 1927. The term shinmuyong was perceived as a creative dance that produced something new in 1930s in Korea. It was, in other words, used as a term similar to new-work dance, creative dance, or creative artistic dance with artistry and creativity on the basis of European modern dance.

The purpose of this study is to suggest a way to reconcile two conflicting concepts: the system of intangible cultural assets and creative succession of traditional dances. Among the terms for intangible cultural assets in Korea, ‘prototype’ was changed into ‘typifier’ because of the legal revision in 2016. In addition, the term, ‘human cultural assets’, which has been actually used was enacted. Typifier is an advanced concept which makes a bridge between intangible cultural assets and artistic notion, while human cultural assets are also a concept that acknowledges an indissolubility between dance and human being. In order to encourage creative succession, while maintaining and preserving the artistic view on intangible cultural assets, this study proposes the following suggestions. First, we should actively find and appreciate holders of human cultural asset in their 40s-50s. It would help activating the dances and forming an independent job field. Second, we should acknowledge more than two people as human cultural assets for an item, accepting various and creative successions. It leads to restraints power monopoly and to promote competition among them. Last, succession fees should be unified by the Cultural Heritage Administration for securing transparency and fairness of accounts. These would contribute to creative successions of Korean traditional dances in the system of intangible cultural assets.