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.

Korean traditional dance is a well-established traditional art as years go by. Recently, Korean traditional dances have seen renewed popularity, but in the process, new interpretations and transformations have eroded the historical and spiritual values inherited in these traditional dances. This study is to rediscover these historical and spiritual values by re-examining the life and dance philosophy of Han Sung-Jun (韓成俊, 1874-1941), and how these had been handed down to Han Youn-sook and Lee Ae-ju. The research reviews existing literature with comprehensive and in-depth analysis. Han Sung-Jun, who came from a long line of dance artists who inherited and developed dance practices reflecting the unique identity of the Korean people, believed that it was through dancing that the human body could truly manifest its natural vitality and emphasized patient learning and training. Han Sung-jun's philosophy was passed on to his granddaughter, Han Young-sook (韓英淑, 1920-1989), who emphasized the exclusion of foreign imitation and of exaggeration by utilizing the spontaneous characteristics of Korean dance. She particularly criticized the blind following/copying of foreign dances and emphasized a focus on traditional Korean dances. Lee Ae-ju (李愛珠, 1947-), who in turn inherited the school of thought from Han Young-sook, took the view that it was through dance training that the mind and soul could have release towards full realization of the human nature. She emphasized the training that all of the body's energy sprang from the lower abdomen to introspect within oneself and served as the foundation for all Korean traditional songs and dance.