This article explores the conceptual design and strategy for inscribing “Traditional Dance of Korea” on the Lists under the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Rather than viewing inscription as cultural recognition or artistic evaluation, it examines how living dance practices can be defined, governed, and sustained within the Convention’s normative framework. The study comparatively analyzes dance-related elements on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists, classifying them by form, social context, and mediating components such as music, costume, craft, and ritual. It also reviews the case of Modern Dance in Germany to illuminate tensions between artistic genres and community-based cultural practices. The article argues that Korean traditional dance should be presented not as fixed repertoires but as a dynamic assemblage of knowledge, skills, transmission systems, and performance contexts continually recreated by communities. Successful inscription, it contends, requires integrated design encompassing community-centered governance, linkage with national inventories, and safeguarding measures that prevent decontextualization. It concludes by proposing single-state, multinational, and extension pathways, offering scholarly and policy implications aligned with sustainability, cultural diversity, and community agency.

This study compares the sugeon dance traditions of the Yeongnam and Honam regions to examine regional distinctions and cultural significance. Through literature analysis, comparative video review, and archival research, it identifies differences in rhythmic structure, handkerchief technique, and stage adaptation. The Yeongnam tradition reflects the formal aesthetics and restrained movement style associated with court dance through its Gyobang and Gwonbeon lineages. In contrast, the Honam tradition demonstrates dynamic expressiveness through the interplay of regular and syncopated rhythms and diverse handkerchief techniques. Centered on the respective transmission lineages, both traditions have formed significant strands in modern Korean dance while reinforcing regional identity and community cohesion. However, the study confirms the need to establish a comprehensive digital archive and strengthen international accessibility. By exmining regional diversity within the shared genre of sugeon dance, this study provides foundational material for the globalization of Korean traditional dance and discussions on cultural heritage. Keywords Traditional Dance, Yeongnam Sugeon Dance, Honam Sugeon Dance, Jeong Sosan, Sin Gwan Cheol

The purpose of this study is to explore learner-centered strategies that enable safe and sustainable movement in dance education, grounded in the theoretical frameworks of Safe Dance Practice and Somatic Ballet®. A conceptual analysis was conducted based on a review of relevant literature. The findings identify three key strategies. First, the sensory awareness strategy is a learning condition structured at the beginning of class so that learners can monitor their physical state before engaging in movement. Second, the sensory regulation strategy proposes that learners to adjust movement based on their own bodily sensation, while referring to the instructor’s guidance. Third, the rest and recovery strategy reframes rest not as an interruption of training, but as a learning mode that prepare learners for subsequent movement. From this perspective, safety is understood not merely as injury prevention but as a learning condition that should be implemented within the educational structure of dance education. This study contributes a practical, learner-centered framework that supports students in recognizing and regulating their bodily states within the learning process.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of narcissism on self-management and performance confidence among university students majoring in dance. A survey was conducted with dance majors enrolled in four-year universities in Seoul, and a total of 363 valid questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS Version 23.0. Data analysis included frequency analysis, exploratory factor analysis, reliability testing, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis. The findings are as follows. First, narcissism had a statistically significant effect on self-management. Second, narcissism significantly influenced performance confidence. Third, self-management had a significant positive effect on performance confidence. These results indicate that narcissism functions as a psychological resource that promotes self-management and enhances performance confidence among dance majors. The findings suggest that, within pre-professional dance training contexts, certain dimensions of narcissism may contribute positively to psychological stability and performance-related competence.

This study aims to examine the value and transmission directions of dances designated as cultural heritage from the Five Northern Provinces (Ibuk 5-do) transmitted in South Korea: Hwagwanmu from Hwanghae Province, Pyeongyang Geommu and Pyeongnam Sugeonnchum from South Pyongan Province, Gim Baekbong's buchaechum (Fan Dance), and Hambuk Seonnyeochum from North Hamgyeong Province. The research research draws primarily on historical literature and institutional materials from the Five Northern Provinces Committee. The study confirms how practitioners transmitters have preserved the cultural heritage of the northern provinces through the Japanese colonial period and national division, and analyzes the artistic, regional, and educational value of each dance. The findings suggests the need for a sustainable transmission system: first, securing transmission records through archiving; second, establishing a systemic framework for research on dance genealogy and related music; third, expanding the designation of new genres and strengthening collaboration within the Five Northern Provinces Committee; and finally, establishing an online platform for the cultural heritage of the Five Northern Provinces. These proposals lay the groundwork for future extension to include other dance genres and yet undesignated cultural heritage.

This study aims to establish the category of Korean traditional dance, in which Korean aesthetic consciousness and spiritual culture are embedded. The purpose is to explore the cultural-historical and policy implications of its inscription on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. By analyzing historical literature and current state of domestic transmission, the study approaches the subject from perspective of ‘typical form [jeonhyeong]’ the intersection of tradition and modern transmission. The results confirm that dance forms redefined as stage arts in the modern era constitute the foundation of contemporary Korean traditional dance Furthermore, UNESCO inscription facilitates the globalization of the identity of Korean arts and shifts the policy paradigm from ‘preservation’ to sustainable ‘transmission and promotion.’ This study is significant in proposing a cultural-historical category for Korean traditional dance and presenting policy recommendations for UNESCO inscription. It serves as a scholarly and policy foundation encompassing both the preservation of archetypal forms and modern re-creation.

This study examines the artistic significance and value production of choreographer Park Kihyun’s re-enactment performance based on Lakeside Adagio of Act I, of Swan Lake, focusing on the concepts of ‘prototype/archetype’ and ‘re-enactment.’ The analysis examines the original dance notation and musical score to investigate how the prototype of the classical ballet was documented and structured. It also conducts interviews with the choreographer and dancers and observes the rehearsal process to explore the embodied memory and experiential performance of the ballet master and dancers in the re-enactment process. The study argues that the original value of the classical work is preserved and transmitted not only through the physical conservation of notation but also through the bodily archive of the ballet master and dancers. Re-enactment in classical ballet is understood not as a passive repetition of the original text, but as an exploratory practice realized through the interpretation of documentation and the creative execution of embodied knowledge.

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 examined the effects of performance participation motivation on dance self-confidence and major satisfaction among Chinese international students majoring in dance studying at Korean universities and tested the mediating effect of dance self-confidence. A survey was conducted with 303 respondents, and the collected data were analyzed using measurement and structural equation models. The results showed that performance participation motivation had significant positive effects on both dance self-confidence and major satisfaction. Dance self-confidence also had a significant positive effect on major satisfaction and demonstrated a mediating effect in the relationship between performance participation motivation and major satisfaction. These findings suggest that systematic support for performance experiences and educational support measures to enhance dance self-confidence are necessary to improve major satisfaction and academic adjustment among international dance major students in Korea.

This study examines the contemporary dance work Yunhoejeok Macbeth (2025) to investigate how nonverbal cues touch, distance, gaze, spatial formation, and rhythm semiotically mark the Lady Macbeth Macbeth relationship and how their repetition and accumulation lead to relational shift and collapse, while evaluating the applicability of Transactional Analysis (TA) . The work was segmented into scenes and the cues were coded as signifiers and interpreted through the signifier signified framework of dance semiotics and TA concepts, including ulterior transactions and ego states (Parent Adult Child) The analysis revealsthat in Scene 2, Lady Macbeth’s approach, contact, and central positioning reinforce covert control and pressure beneath apparent collusion, intensifying relational asymmetry. This is accompanied by weakened adult regulation (A) and heightened parent control (P) and child instability (C). Scene 3 employs repetitive movement and circular formations to present a cyclical structure of samsaric recurrence following catastrophe. This study demonstrates that nonverbal cues function as semiotic units that produce and transform relational meaning and confirms the productivie applicatbility of TA concepts to dance analysis.