This study examines the evolution of modern dance culture amidst the historical tribulations of the colonial era by analyzing dance photographs published in 1920s newspapers. Utilizing a literature review methodology, the research analyzes 317 photographs from Maeil Sinbo (154), Joseon Ilbo [Chosun Ilbo] (93), and Dong-a Ilbo (70). The analysis revealed three key findings. First, the photographs visually corroborate the heteronomous nature of dance culture under colonial rule. Second, they demonstrate the systematic assimilation of Japanese dance into colonial Korea. These images expose an imperialist agenda designed to manage and mobilize the colonized population under the pretext of artistic exchange. Third, despite such oppression, the photographs capture the emergence of a modern and subjective dance culture. This study holds significant value by providing a comprehensive pictorial understanding of the performing arts landscape during the Japanese occupation through the lens of newspaper photography. By re-evaluating these visual archives, the research illuminates the complex interplay between colonial hegemony and the pursuit of modern cultural identity in 1920s Korea.

This study examines the significance of shin minyo dance, a modern dance heritage that was popular from the 1930s to the 1960s, with particular focus on the works of Bae Guja, who created dances based on the folk songs Cheonan Samgeori and Doraji Taryeong. Employing a practice-based research methodology, the study centers on the processes of re-enactment and restoration, while analyzing the reproduction of these works in a contemporary context. The findings reveal that the living transmission of cultural heritage lies not merely in reproduction or restoration, but more importantly in the modern succession and sustainability of dance that reflects both national identity and regional characteristics. Furthermore, this research proposes creative methodologies for integrating the cultural value of traditional dance into contemporary society and underscores the significance of modern succession of modern dance heritage.

The purpose of this research is to confirm the value of the New Folk Song Dance in the history of modern Korean dance. Based on literature review and video analysis, this research investigates the characteristics of the New Folk Song Dance by analyzing the dance movements of ‘Cheonan Samgeoli’, ‘Nillilia’, and ‘Cheonyo Chonggak’ in cultural films reproduced under the direction of the Society for Dance Documentation and History. Based on the dance analysis theory of Janet Adshead, the characteristics and values of New Folk Song Dance were explored by analyzing the components of dance (movement, dancer, visual and auditory environment) and the nature of dance (genre and style). The result of this research shows that the New Folk Song Dance has the characteristics of cultural expressions of modern dance through which we can enjoy occidental music as well as traditional one. The dance is composed of simple and repetitive movements as well as a variety of formation, which makes it very easy for the public to learn. This allows us to confirm the value of the New Folk Song Dance as another type of modern dance heritage, ultimately leading us to redefine the perspective of modern dance culture.

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.

This study seeks to interpret how femininity is revealed in Seung-hee Choi’s dancing body and how it was expressed in daily life at a time when patriarchy and the concept of the “new woman” collided. In early modern dance and in later works of Korean traditional material and Oriental images, we see aspects of bold, dignified women. These reveal a feminism that conforms to established male ideals and challenges classical femininity. In contrast, Seung-hee Choi practiced a progressive to her life and to marriage. The romantic relationship she shared with her husband was not like those of radical feminists. Instead, the couple forged a modern marriage that linked them as a mental partner and a mentor of life. The tendency of her work was also affected by her husband, so she created dance of proletarian tendency and then developed Korean dance. Seung-hee Choi succeeded at both her career and marriage. Seung-hee Choi was also a celebrity in her time for emphasizing femininity through her fashion. She retained her bob style hair and wore Western clothes indoors and out. The hats, coats, dresses, clutches, and shoes that she wore were carefully chosen to coordinate with the Art Déco style then in vogue in Paris and the U.S. This form of fashion reveals a graceful, sophisticated, and self-assured femininity.

This study traced Choi Seung-hee’s dancing career in Europe and the Americas between 1937 and 1940. Choi is recognized as a pioneer who built the foundation of modern Korean dance. Called “the dancer of the peninsular” and very popular in Korea and Japan, the celebrated dancer extended her career to Europe with the ambitious mission to introduce Joseon dance to an international audience in the late 1930s. As the Japanese novelist Yasunari Kawabata put it, her dance was powerful and based on her ethnic roots, which became representative of her as a dancer. Meanwhile, most Korean intellectuals criticized her dance for failing to fully express their nation’s identity; this was because it was a mix of Western-style and traditional Korean techniques. Despite this criticism, her dance proved itself to be fascinating enough to attract an international audience, presenting the uniqueness of an ethnic culture in a dignified and fresh way. It also suggested that the legendary dancer’s work carries significance in that it created a new value system with a blend of globalization, locality, and democratic elements.

When I first looked through the records of Korean immigrants on the foreigner register in Mexico in 1989, a photo attracted my attention of a flapper-haired, smiling, beautiful woman who stood out among the others. She was Sai Shoki, a famed dancer who performed in Mexico City in October, 1940. When I met Judy Van Zile, professor of University of Hawaii in Puerto España in the summer of 2000, the professor told me that her study on Korean dance was nearly completed. Her study looked into the performance tour in America by Choi Seung-hee(Shoki’s Korean name)and included articles on her Bogota performance. That led me to the presentation of this study in which I was to give details about Shoki’s dance career, records on her Mexico performance, and her political position on her nation’s independence movement, which drove her to move to North Korea and continue her career there. The appendix contains related photos.

Rooted in British sociologist Anthony Giddens’s description of modernity as a historical and cultural space that is “in various key respects discontinuous with the gamut of pre-modern cultures and ways of life”, this study seeks to contextualize Ch’oe Sŭng-hŭi’s life and legacy in relation to evolving ideas of modernity. Here I continue my concern with Ch’oe’s actual dancing. I first lay a foundation for moving forward by summarizing related previous findings. I then look at Ch’oe’s emerging aesthetic philosophy and artistic development in relation to modernity as it was becoming defined in dance in Japan, Korea, and elsewhere. I conclude that it was the diverse philosophies underlying the kids of dance with which Ch’oe became engaged that in effect gave her permission to develop artistically in the way she did, and that allowed for her changing embodiment of Korean modernity during the 1920s and 1930s.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the various aspects of the traditional Korean dance at the Pyeongyang Gisaeng School and the ways that their culture was transmitted through their activities. There is no doubt that the perceptions of Gisaeng have been negative or narrow-minded. Furthermore, Gisaeng has become a symbolic image of sexuality, and the narrow-minded stereotype of Gisaeng still remains today. However, there exists counter-discourse that enables a re-conceptualization of Gisaeng as the symbol of a cultural archetype. It is also necessary to assess them as the pioneers of modern culture creation. The Pyeongyang Gisaeng School, in particular, produced many entertainers in the early modern days through a stable and sustainable educational system. The school provided whole person education based on its systematic process and content to produce a host of entertainers instead of limiting its scope only to art. Dance education was allocated to the upper grades so that the students could take on the practice of dance after equipping themselves with the basics including music. I The school also embraced contemporary art in its education according to the flow of the times rather than remaining at the level of the tradition. This foundation of the school contributed to the big number of Gisaengs from Pyeongyang recorded in Yedanilbaekin and Joseon Mi-In Bogam and the popularity they enjoyed among the public through their various performance activities.

Giselle, along with Swan Lake, is one of the most widely-loved and frequently-performed classic piece of ballet. The first full-act premiere of Giselle in Korea was performed in December 10th of 1975 as the 17th period performance of the Korean National Ballet. Giselle, often considered to be an indispensable part of the repertoire in most professional ballet companies, has been said to be one of the most important pieces of classical ballet throughout the entire ballet history. The premiere performance of Giselle was a historic event which provided a steppingstone for the Korean ballet company to grow further into the next level. In this study, we aimed to ascertain historical truth about the first full-act premiere of Giselle in Korea and to draw historical implication. As research strategies, we collected and analyzed historical literature materials as well as conducted interviews with important figures. Our historical investigation indicated that the premiere of Giselle of 1975 triggered a significant leap toward a next level of performing art in general, not only of Korean ballet. Another important value could be found from its being a challenging attempt under the worst of conditions notwithstanding. In a similar vein, the premiere of Giselle had a particular significance due to its being the first independently performed full-act premiere without any help from outside the country. The first full-act premiere of Giselle was made possible due to the passionate devotion and inspiration of a few major figures