This study conducts a semiotic examination on Taryeonggwajang of Jeong Jaeman's Seungmu. As a research method, I used Saussure's binary opposition, Greimas' meaning generation model, actor model, and semiotic square. I suggests that the elements of binary opposition are not complete oppositions but are mutually complementary. Seungmu repeatedly uses the actor model in the succession process. In that, the narrative nature of Seungmu is completed. By applying the internal binary opposition elements to the semiotic square, I could expand the scope to the existence of 'non-yin' and 'non-yang' rather than just 'yin' and 'yang'. In the movement analysis, I illuminate that there is no repetition where the beat and movement match, and in the case of the same movement, the movement changes to the left and right direction and the speed of the movement gradually increase. In this way, the analysis of the various meanings and dance movements inherent in Taryeonggwajang could be another interpretive study.

This study is to analyze the movements of Yeombulgwajang, a section in Seungmu, a Korean traditional dance, from a perspective of Greimas’ semiotics. For the analysis of the study, the movement principles of “contraction and expression” and “tying and untying,” which were derived from the philosophies of Yin-Yang and Reincarnation embedded in Seungmu, were discussed through the idea of Greimas’s semiotic square. The relationships between contraction and expression and between tying and untying are deemed to be confrontational; the relationships between expression and untying and between contraction and tying are regarded as hypothetical; the relationships between tying and expression and between contraction and untying are seemed to be contradictory. The meanings of the dance may be formed and interpreted diversely based on the various combinations of these elements. The study contributes to demonstrating a new way of interpreting inherent meanings in Seungmu.

This article explores the philosophy of life contained in Lee Ae-ju’s dance and its theory from a critical perspective. I first discussed the planning intentions of the three works of Lee Ae-ju’s Creative Dance Ttangkkeut, Nanumgut bap, and Balloon Flower, as well as the view of life of her dance. Secondly, the traditional dances of Seungmu, Salpurichum, and Taepyeongchum were explained, and Lee Ae-ju's artistic life and dance worldview were examined. Finally, the meaning and nature of the Lee Ae-ju’s dance, intended to be expressed across traditional and creative dances, were identified and the philosophy of life within it was explored.

An artist who has contributed significantly to the prosperity and development of Korean dance; an innovator who has steered her craft toward opening doors to a new world of creative positivity, Lee Ae-ju was such an artist. While traditional dance of the past and modern forms of creative dance have often been in conflict, Lee’s nationally designated dance has spread its wings defying a century of creative ideology. By adding excitement and style to the rhythm, her art has sublimated dance into a form that embraces rebirth with joy. Through her dance, she gave new life to the creative spark of her field and helped instilling hope for both freedom of expression and democratization.

This study focuses on analyzing how Han is embedded and characterized in a traditional folk dance, Seung-mu, and its relationship to the Korean culture and dance. This research employs literature reviews for the concept of Han and historical background of Seung-mu and Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) for an objective analysis of movements. The findings of the analysis are as the follow. A combination of slowly Rising lower body, gradually Opening arm and Growing torso movements is created by very strict control from the core and Breath Support and is accomplished by a Mobile State—Bound and Sustained—Effort constellation with a moment of inhalation. Continuously following Scattering arm and throwing long sleeve movement accompanies with a moment of exhalation, which comes with Diminished Strong, Free, and Quick Passion Drive Effort. Then, highly controlled outpouring exhalation directs a smooth knee bend and arm close with following soft curves of the long sleeves. The intensely controlled breath supports Sinking Shape Qualities in whole body and inner energy stream smoothly comes back to previous Mobile State, Bound and Sustained Quality. These particularly sequenced movement qualities creating a movement phrase mean a qualitative pattern of the Seung-mu and also reflect the emotional transforming process of Han. The Bound and restricted characteristics signifying strictly controlled inner impulses of lamentation, in Seung-mu refer to a tragic history and strong social restrictions like taboo within the traditional society of Korean people. The hurt and lamenting feelings from their tragic fates are transformed into the artistically refined expressivity with the embodiments of positive and peaceful feelings in Seung-mu.

This study is to find the significance of Seungmu(Buddhist dance) in Han Yeongsuk’s style by analyzing musical and choreographic characteristics of its Dangak movements, which distinguish itself from other styles of the Seungmu, in the light of exhilaration consisting of the basis of Korean culture. By this study, it is achieved to firm the identity of Seungmu in Han Yeongsuk’s style and determine its significance in the history of Korean traditional dance. The following is the result of this study. Firstly, Dangak is the movement that four of very fast three counts consist of one beat, played when a shaman has a dancing ritual for a spirit to possess the shaman in Seoul and Gyeonggi area. Dangak rooted in this shaman music is conservative in that the shaman music is the music for a spirit but at the same time also open and dynamic because it is professional music for audience in performance field. Dangak movements which accompaniment is based on such dynamic shaman music is most likely to bring exhilaration and amusement out by various melodies of performer’s impromptu playing and repetition of rhythm with fast speed and a number of beats. Secondly, in the dance of Dangak, the performance starts primarily with the dance spreading, winding, laying or turning Jangsam(the robe of Buddhist monk) or throwing it over the shoulder. Then performer takes the drumstick out of the robe and beats a drum, holding back the sleeve and dancing each motion with robe and drum harmonized. This can be said a master of dance mingling Jangsam and drum with beauty of balance, which has been developed further from the prior form of dancing that was with only Jangsam or onlydrum beating. As accompanied with such world of Dangak dance, dynamic of Dangak accompaniment with fast speed accelerates the elevating energy generated from the harmony of drum and Jangsam, creating aesthetic performance to sinmyeong(exhilarate). Moreover, it has no diagonal motion but makes the repetitive motions balancing at center, such as moving from center to the front or from the front to the back, so that it has satisfied the requirement to maximize strong and active energy. In other words, various dancing motions balancing at center including stepping forward and backward, turning and taking steps back are fitted with fast rhythm, lifting up the atmosphere of exhilaration gradually. Thirdly, considering Dangak movement of Seungmu in Han Yeongsuk’s style has been evolved into Dangak dance with drum beating and the motions using Jangsam harmonized, it deserves the significance for its unique identity. Furthermore, it is a representative dance as one of the best Korean traditional dances since it has embodied an aesthetic structure arousing exhilaration, the root of Korean culture, with its own composition elevating from slow rhythm of the monotonous rule in traditional music to fast one.

Han Sung Jun has been recognized as an extraordinary figure who collected traditional Korean dances and laid a foundation for systematic transmission during the late Chosun Dynasty and Japanese colonial period. Due to his significance, there have been ample researches in the past. However, there seemed to be some rooms for re-examination within the cultural contexts. The purpose of this study was to re-examine Han Sung Jun’s dance works, more specifically his social awareness as well as his dance perspective. Archives of his direct interviews were utilized for this task. Han Sung Jun, as an artist who experienced both feudal and colonial times, considered his life as a ‘shame.’ Based on this notion, he maintained his cultural identity during the abrupt changing times from the West dignity and accepted his fateful mission on traditional dance. Han Sung Jun focused on the principles of dance with open mindedness and holistic thoughts. Han Sung Jun’s three major dance works, ‘Seung Mu’, ‘Tae Pyung Mu’, and ‘Salpuri Chum’, were analyzed for better understanding using historical sources and Han Sung Jun’s thought. ‘Seung Mu’ was not just a form of religious dance but the crux of traditional dance cementing several cultures and ideologies. ‘Tae Pyung Mu’ could be viewed not only a dance for peaceful time and strong reign, but a dance for just society where all people were treated equal and lived an harmonious community. Lastly, ‘Salpuri Chum’ had the most liberal form and reflected the dancer’s emotion and could be regarded as the dance form with open possibilities.

This research analyzes Chun-Heung Kim's Seungmu, which he learnd from Sung-Joon Han, illuminates the world of traditional dance by Chun-Heung Kim, and identifies the legacy of Sung-Joon Han through a comparative analysis between Kim's dance and Young-Sook Han's Seungmu. The results are as follows. According to the comparative analysis of two Seungmu, Chun-Heung Kim's Seungmu is characterized to follow the basic outline of Sung-Joon Han's Seungmu, but its steps are more dynamic and it creates the simple world with artless movement of monk's robe. Thus, folk dance by Chun-Heung Kim through the Seungmu represents the world that are shaped by combination of dynamic exhilaration through steps, the beauty of simplicity of the movement with monk's robe without exaggeration, and the beauty of moderation.

This study analyzes the research trends of seven Korean traditional dances designated as national intangible cultural heritages that are given social values and cultural symbolism as a historical heritage of the country. Research papers were collected by using the seven dances as the search keyword and analyzed through text mining methods. These collected papers investigated frequency analysis, entity name recognition, connection centrality, and N-gram, focusing on their titles and publication years. For the final analysis, 1,043 articles published in academic journals and 1,065 thesis and dissertations in RISS were used.

As a result of the analysis, there is a large difference in the number of papers, depending on what genre an intangible heritage belongs to. It can be also found that research on traditional dances has gradually decreased. Many studies have shown the tendency to concentrate on the interpretation, preservation, and transmission of traditional dances. In the meantime, more studies are being conducted to develop or popularize Korean traditional dances as educational programs and contents.