The most widely known traditional dance of Korea is probably buchaechum부채춤, or fan dance. Most Korean girls would learn this dance in school. But in fact, buchaechum hasn’t been performed for that long. It was created in 1954 by a choreographer named Kim Baek-bong김백봉. Originally envisioned as a solo act, it turned into a group dance piece when it was performed by a Korean folk dance company for the 1968 Mexico Summer Olympics. Since then, the fan dance has become an iconic Korean traditional dance. For its accompaniment, folk songs from Gyeonggi-do Province are generally played. Here’s gugak artist Lee Saeng-kang playing the fan dance accompaniment piece. 

Music 1: Fan Dance Accompaniment Music/ Performed by Lee Saeng-kang

Among traditional dances, the oldest one is Cheoyongmu처용무 or the Dance of Cheoyong. This dance dates back some 1,100 years to the ninth century, at the end of the Unified Silla Kingdom. According to legend, the king at the time was enveloped by thick fog when he went out to the beach on the east coast. His officials, believing the fog to be the work of a sea god, pleaded with the king to commit a good deed to counter the bad omen. 

So the king ordered a Buddhist temple to be built nearby. That was when the dragon of the East Sea and its sons came out from the sea to clear away the fog and perform a dance of gratitude. 

The dragon then decided to leave one of its sons with the Silla king, and that son was Cheoyong. He settled down in Silla and even married a Silla girl. One day, he found a malevolent spirit sleeping with his wife, but rather than get angry, he sang and danced to express his sadness and disappointment. Surprised and moved by Cheoyong’s magnanimity, the spirit promised him that it would stay away at the sight of his picture. 

Since then, people put up the drawings of Cheoyong on their front gates to chase away evil spirits. The melodies to the song that Cheoyong sang back then have been lost, but its lyrics have survived to this day. And his dance has been turned into a court dance in which five dancers wearing large Cheoyong masks perform a series of dynamic moves. Here’s the accompaniment music to Cheoyongmu performed by the Korea National University of Arts’ School of Traditional Arts. 

Music 2:  Accompaniment music to Cheoyongmu/ Performed by the Korea National University of Arts’ School of Traditional Arts

There are several paintings of dancers performing Cheoyongmu among the Joseon-era paintings depicting royal celebrations. This dance was also performed at the year-end ceremony engineered to chase away evil spirits. The Dance of Cheoyong is performed by five dancers, each representing one of five directions – north, south, east, west, and center. The directions are indicated in different colors – blue for the east, white for the west, red for the south, black for the north, and yellow for the center. 

The Cheoyong mask features a red face and large eyes and nose, probably suggesting that Cheoyong looked rather exotic. The dance moves are big and dynamic, enough to drive away ghosts and demons. The historical significance of Cheoyongmu was recognized by the world when it was registered as an UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009. 

There is a folk dance that serves similar functions as Cheoyongmu. The salpuri 살풀이 dance used to be performed at shamanistic rituals during which shaman priestesses danced to remove evil influences from beyond. That dance was handed down among ordinary people and became a folk dance performed all over the country. 

A salpuri dancer wears a white outfit and holds a long white cloth. It is characterized by minimal human movement complemented by the beautiful arcs drawn in the air by the white cloth. Salpuri dance, designated National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 97, is accompanied by a music piece titled Sinawi시나위, which originated from shamanistic beliefs in the southern region. Today’s last piece is “Sinawi” performed by the National Gugak Center’s Folk Music Group.

Music 3: Sinawi/ Performed by the National Gugak Center’s Folk Music Group