Hwangchangmu (黃昌舞) is a type of sword dance, which is based on a legend about Hwangchang Rang (黃昌郞), a member of the Silla Dynasty. The legend states that Hwangchang Rang (黃昌郞) bravely went to Baekje to slay the king with a sword. The dance is performed in commemoration of Hwangchang (黃昌 or 黃倡), who fought to the death for his country, Silla. During the Joseon Dynasty, Hwangchangmu was dance indigenous to the Gyeongju region. In the late Joseon period, Park Jong (朴琮 1735-1793) stated that Hwangchangmu had been passed down from the Silla Dynasty for nearly 1,000 years and people at that time thought that it was the best dance in the East. The dance, which had been performed at Gyeongju Gyobang during the Joseon Dynasty, was suspended during the period of Japanese colonization. The objective of this research is to establish a basic theoretical background that can be used to restore Hwangchangmu in a contemporary context. Particularly, it is part of an effort to restore Hwangchangmu, which is described as one of the ten dances from the Silla Dynasty (新羅十舞) in Donggyeongyurok (東京遊錄) written by Park Jong. Since its sentences are brief and the contents are rough, related materials are collected and analyzed from the Akbusi (樂府詩), which is a literary anthology that was written by many literary figures and originated during the Joseon Dynasty. The research suggests that the past dance culture of Gyeongju Gyobang should be examined. Also, the study of Hwangchangmu is expected to contribute to a newly illuminating and understanding of native art and culture in provincial regions.

This paper aims to find how to utilize the dance of Silla era by figuring out what are the characteristics of dance are based on Silla people’s life and how it had been used historically. The characteristics of dance based on Silla people’s life are classified as those of amateur and of expert. Amateurs danced in various fields of life. There was dancing entertainment during community labor which was led by women. A woman monk comported life’s worries which were not able to be avoided even by Buddhist priest by making humorous dances. Wonhyo announced the name of Buddha by Muaemu. Silla nobles maximized their pleasure in parties by dancing entertainment and made drinking parties fun by dancing penalty. A king of Silla danced and sang a song when life’s worries resolved. Hwarang displayed patriotism by a sword dance. There were three characteristics in expert’s dance. First, Silla set a high value on moderation and self-control by aiming for dance joyful but not dissipated and sad but not grievous. Second, people considered pleasure and enjoyment as a root of dance creation. Third, dance took a key role in performing arts of Silla. Silla dance was used in history of Goryeo and Joseon dynasty. Muaemu and Cheoyoungmu were consistently utilized in dance by amateurs and experts. Cheoyoungmu which was utilized by expert’s dance in Chosun dynasty was performed in events of royal family, ceremony, events in local government offices, and private rituals. Hwangchangnangmu was consistently utilized in Gyeongsang Provinces as considered as Silla dance. Currently Silla dance can be utilized in Gyeongju in varying purposes. It is expected to continue Silla people’s life dance in various ways even in the present times.