The purpose of this study was to examine the concept of the dance literacy and its components along with the development process of and educational method for the dance literacy using qualitative methods. Six professional dance educators were selected using typical case selection (Miles & Huberman, 1994) and theoretical sampling (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). In-depth interviews were conducted, and the collected data were analyzed by inductive category analysis. The findings of this study are as the following. First, the concept of dance literacy (DL) is the accumulation of the knowledge and competences of understanding dancing and doing it, and the components of DL are dance knowledge and recognition skill (DL for practice), humanity knowledge and inquiry skill (DL for theory), and practical knowledge and conductive skill (DL for integration). Second, the development process of DL is categorized into implicit learning stage, selective perception stage, and spontaneous learning stage. Third, the development methods of DL are dance practice, research on dance theory, and learning through the community of practice. Based on the results, it will be helpful to promote the dance educators’ professionalism, make qualitative changes on dance education, and foster professional dance specialist.

This thesis examines the current status of the dance research of North Korea in three areas: research on dance history, research on dance theory, and the transmission and research of the cultural dance heritage. We investigate comprehensively by looking into the history of North Korean dance by identifying the artistic purpose of North Korea and the ways dance history books organize its history, and the research trend. In particular, it should be understood correctly on condition that the ideology contained in the dance, the social-cultural context, and the dance as a comprehensive art must be studied in paralleled with various theoretical systems, aesthetic characteristics, principles, and methods from a multifaceted perspective.

The history and culture of dance that could not be explained with old materials alone have been identified scientifically, newly established, and systematized in North Korea, and based on this, North Korean dance scholarship focused on the study of theory and method on the issues regarding transmission of the excellent traditions and dance heritage of the nation. This focus become an important guideline to the development of dance art in North Korea.

In addition, more systematic theoretical studies have been conducted in various ways, including Korean dance history, basic dance theory, and dance notation. These studies are significant in laying the foundation for the systemic and scientific study of dance theory. That would support the basics of dance, dance creation, and theoretical investigation.