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.

This study examines the trends related to dance as a performance art during the early period of the Soviet Union, a time in which art was broadly used for public enlightenment, the promotion of socialist ideology, and national integration and establishment in the 1920s and 1930s. Dance in this period will be investigated with the aim of determining who produced and appreciated dance performance, the format and genre of the dance performances, and the themes and contents of the performances. Throughout the 1920s and 30s, efforts were made to develop a new form of art that would be appreciated and accepted by Soviet people from various social classes and would help to lead the newly born country, based on Lenin’s idea of popularizing art for the general public. It was a critical period that shaped the characteristics, format, and direction of performing arts in the Soviet Union. In looking at this period, three phenomena stand out. First, ordinary people emerged as both producers and viewers of the performing arts, and an amateur performing arts group (Soin Yesuldan) became popular. Second, Estrada and folk dance became popular during this period among the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural people of the Soviet Union, which greatly influenced the birth of a folk dance company with ballet choreographers. Third, at a meeting of the Pan-Soviet Writers Alliance held in 1934, Gor’kii M. declared that socialist realism should be the principle for creating Soviet art. Subsequently, young Soviet ballet masters developed new forms of ballet in which the themes and contents were in accord with the government agenda. Dance as a performing art in the early period of the Soviet Union greatly influenced not only the art movements in other socialist countries but also Minjok and Minjung chum in Korea in the 1980s and 1990s. In this regard, future research should investigate how dance formats and characteristics from the Soviet Union have been accommodated and reflected in Korean Minjok and Minjung chum.

Among the songs and dances of the western regions that spread, via the Silk Road, to the central regions, Hoseonmu, Hodeungmu, and Jajimu—which are the “three dances of the western regions”—were widely popular during the Tang Dynasty. For this reason, they have been the focus of many studies in China. In Korea, studies have focused on the similarities between the Hoseonmu of the Goguryeo Dynasty and that of the western regions, and between the Yeonwhadae, which is the Dangak-jeongjae of the Goryeo Dynasty, and the Jajimu. While there have been studies on the songs and dances based on the poetic literature, there have been few studies on the introduction and development of the culture of song and dance. Thus, this paper aims to explore songs and dances that were introduced and developed in the East Asian region through exchanges, considering how they were first introduced and then expanded to the central regions by focusing on the three major western dances: Hoseonmu, Hodeungmu, and Jajimu. The songs and dances of the western regions were introduced to the central regions long ago, and it is not clear when the different songs and dances were introduced. Since Gyobanggi and other records state that many western songs and dances were found in Geon-Mu and Yeon-Mu, which were representative court songs and dances during the Tang Dynasty, it is clear that the western songs and dances were introduced to the central regions before the Tang Dynasty. Historical records indicate that the cultural exchange of songs and dances between the two regions started during the Han Dynasty, were promoted during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and reached their peak during the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Hoseonmu, Hodeungmu, and Jajimu held the unique spirit of the western regions and spread from the major cities to Chekiang and from Haizhu to Szechuan, influencing not not only Gyobangs but also military camps and even the nobility. In doing so, they converged with the songs and dances of the Han people in the central regions. In this regard, it is safe to say that the introduction of western songs and dances to the central regions had a great impact on the development of songs and dances in the central regions during the Middle Age. The songs and dances of the western regions converged with those of the central regions and created a new culture of song and dance. By increasing the popularity of these songs and dances, which were mostly court music and dances, a new singing and dancing culture was created that everyone could enjoy. This article focuses on how the three dances were introduced to, and developed in, the central regions. Studies are required on how they spread to, and were transformed in, other regions.

Traditional art genres have been differentiated and developed as new types in a 21st century that is already accustomed to diversity. In particular, modern art was grafted to digital media to escape the negative limitations of the traditional class to enjoy something through an expansion into popular culture with de genre. As a result, the art world was able to determine how to promote this expansion, leading to a fusion and reinvention through “communication and integration” between genres. Recently, the attempt to develop a research-intensive genre has been progressing by grafting arts genres, differentiated under a paradigm called “The same starting point,” through exchanges and convergence. Particular attention has been given to grafting the characteristics of modern poetry to dance creation and performance in a fusion of literature and dance. This fusion can be divided into two types based on the intertextuality of the two genres. One is poetic dance, with the poetry-dance concept expressing poetic nature through dance, while the other is the dance scenario poem, with the dance-poem concept focusing on performing arts. Though the two concepts are not independent art genres, from the viewpoint of fusion and re-creation, they can be evaluated in terms of how they individualize dance’s deep poetic soul and poetry’s dynamic symbolism. The purpose of this study is to establish creative methods for poetic dance drama, with the essay focusing on creative process methods for three dance poems using a typed person with repose of souls through the symbolic images of Kokdugaksi Norum, which is a traditional drama, in convergence with the plot of ssitgimguk (a shaman ritual for cleaning a dead person’s soul), which is a folk ritual of sacrifice, and modern poetry. In Chapter 1, for the conceptual definition of poetic dance drama, the prior research on the intertextuality between poetry and dance will ber reviewed, while Chapter 2 will premise the creation of poetic dance drama, analyzing the story and character structure of “Lemuralia” in order to apply in earnest the relationship between a ritual of sacrifice and original art to creative activities. In Chapter 3, the essay will explore creative methods through the analysis of actual poetic dance drama. It aims to expand the arts in modern society by encompassing an emotional re-convergence with different arts genres from traditional society. In order to complete the poetic dance drama, Kokdugaksi Norum, conducted in this study, this researcher summarizes the creative methods of poetic dance drama mentioned above according to three points of view. The first is a mix between arts genres that borrow from Korean culture. The second coordinates poetic creation and the language arts within a process for broadening our understanding of the symbolic and dynamic movements of dance, body arts in terms of recognizing performing arts. The third fuses poetry with dance in combination with dynamic images to recognize the poetic soul and to identify the possibilities inherent in communication, individuality, and the convergence of arts genres in terms of creating community awareness that can be interpreted as an object of symbolic meaning.

This thesis presents an interpretation of Korean musical history based on an analysis of the choreography of each era. The development of Korean musical theatre can be divided into the following three ages. In the antecedent stage (1930s–1950s), the first musical production were like operas, but these were very different from Western musical theater. Korean traditional dance also remained popular. The dance themes focused on politics or parodied current events. The famous choreographers in this era were Kim Minja and Jang Chuhwa. In the development stage (1960s–1980s), Western influence on Korean musical theatre was pronounced. Commercial efforts were made to develop a music industry. Spectacular shows were produced, and these represented an attempt to target global markets. The famous choreographers in this era included Kim Bekbong, Lim Sungnam, Choi Hyun, and Bek Sungku. The golden age (1990s–2010s) brought dramatic change to Korean musical theater. While the original Korean musicals had been established as the basic form of musical theatre, Western musicals became a major branch in the Korean music industry. Each branch was a thriving institution, artistically and commercially, and each had its own place and purpose. The famous choreographers in this era included Han Ikpung and Seo Byungku. Korean musical theater has been a part of the dramatic presentations of the times. Due to the emergence of modern Western musical theater, many structural elements changed, and choreography in musical theater became an important part of productions.

Dance education research, like all research, can be either quantitative or qualitative. The purpose of this study is to discuss ontological and epistemological paradigms from a philosophical perspective, and analyze dance educational research in order to enhance the understanding of these conceptual paradigms, thereby contributing to proper development of dance education research. Epistemological paradigms seem to reasonably argue that our understanding of reality depends on our conceptual worlds, in truth reality is subjective rather than objective. However, certain pre-eminent features in physical objects and human behavior exist independently, limiting our explanations and understandings of reality. Therefore, considering the historicity of individuals and social groups, it is necessary to understand dance education through qualitative research. However, preeminent features in physical objects and human behavior constrain our understandings of educational realities. Such constraints make it possible for the researcher to derive generalized concepts of reality through quantitative research. The results of quantitative research put forward some uniqueness in dance education that must be analyzed through qualitative research. In this respect, it is false and misleading to dichotomize research paradigms as ontological and epistemological. Considering such positive interactions between quantitative and qualitative research, it is obvious that these research methodologies are complementary.

This paper was written from the perspective of non-reductive materialism to interpret choreographic changes and medium replacement in Korean traditional dance. Non-reductive materialism is a theory that all phenomena are mentally created from substances and that formed mental phenomena do not return to the substances from which they came. This principle was the matrix Danto used to explain the ontological status of artwork. Additionally, Margolis borrowed Strawson’s concept of person and applied it to assess art analogically. This same concept can be applied to explain dance; dance uses movement as a medium, which in turn uses humans as a medium, making humans the embodiment of a physical substance—the body. The physical substance, then, is the property of the medium, embodying the dance performance. Embodied dance contains the physical properties of the medium and intentional properties, such as mental phenomena, which do not belong to a physical property. Therefore, the relationship between medium, movement, and dance is non-reductive, and each is indivisibly soluble with the next. From this point of view, each dance performance produced from the same medium is independent and unique. Successive changes in Korean traditional dance are replacements of the fundamental medium. Successive dancers can obtain similarities to previous performances in their own dance by training with a former dancer. During training, breathing is a core principle of movement and an element that considerably influences dancers’ similarities. This process is called transmission. As a result, long-term similarity training is a primary factor when choosing successive dancers because they share the mental of traditional dances and choreography with their successors.

한국 근현사에 커다란 부담이 되고 있는 두 나라는 중국과 일본이다. 중국은 동북공정을 통하여, 일본은 식민 사관을 통하여 한국 근현사를 왜곡시키고, 한국인의 넋 과 얼을 빼앗고 있다. 이러한 왜곡은 근현사에 제한되지 않고 고사와 중세사로 까지 거슬러 올라가고 있다. 한국 사에 한 중국의 입장을 중화주의(Sino-centrism)로, 일 본의 입장을 일제 식민주의(Japanese colonialism)로 부를 수 있다. 따라서 중화주의와 식민주의는 한국사 전체의 틀을 뒤틀어 놓고 있는 실정이다.