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Korean traditions cannot be separated from the influences of Confucianism,
Buddhism and shamanism. In the past, religious rituals employed dance
to communicate with gods or supernatural beings. Present-day dancers
also use their art to convey their religious ecstasy or offer prayers
to the almighty, following the traditional forms of rituals. On the
Korean dance stage, performers pursue the spiritual world through dances
whose styles and techniques are based on the basic movements found in
these traditional rituals. |
| Willow, a Tree of Life by kang
Mi-ri |
Among Korean dancers, Hong Shin-cha has been a leader in this genre of dance.
Returning home after several years of training and performing in the United
States, her first performance in Korea was a solo meditation dance, called Spiral
Stance, which premiered in 1984. In the work she portrays a morbid, brooding
existence caught between infinite darkness and death, symbolized by dancing
with a skull in her hands. Another representative dancer in this unique sub-genre
is Kang Song-won, whose most famous work Field, which premiered in 1998, describes
a Buddhist monk's patient pursuit of nirvana with simple yet strong images.
In this work, he displays his search for the spiritual world with slow, delicate
movements, and by wearing a variety of ornaments such as metal pieces, bells
and rocks to indicate his abstinence from material pursuits.
| Other major works strongly influenced by Buddhism
include Willow, a Tree of Life choreographed by Kang Mi-ri, Garter Snake
by Kim Suk-ja, An Outing of Princess Yoseok and Poetry of Exultation by
Kim Bok-hee and Kim Hwa-suk. These Buddhist-inspired works usually reflect
faith in the transmigration doctrine of Buddhism. Other performances,
such as a female shaman's story Munyeodo and Skyline of Tibet, both choreographed
by Kook Soo-ho, are deal with shamanism, yet include messages of reincarnation
and transmigration. Other ritualistic works include Soul-Colored Shadow
by Oh Eun-hee and Memorial Ceremony by Hong Shin-cha. Liveliness and Curse
choreographed by Kang Mi-ri these works accentuate traditional meditation
that display a calm Oriental. In these works, Kang creates a majestic
stage atmosphere as a priest who combines the energy of heaven and earth
together. |
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| Shadow House choreographed by
Kim Eun-hee |
Christianity has also been employed as a subject for dancers,
a pioneer of Korean modern dance, Yook Wan-soon, has performed a rendition of
Jesus Christ Superstar every year since 1973. And ballet choreographer and educator
Cho Seung-mi, performing with her own ballet company, brought a production of
Samson and Delilah to the stage.
Willow, a Tree of Life
| Kang Mi-ri produced Willow, a Tree of Life
(1996) to symbolize her world view of harmony among heaven, earth and
humans using the life of a willow tree as the central device. This work
opens with a scene in which Kang Mi-ri stands in the center of a red oval
plate. She does not dance, but her appearance evokes a powerful energy.
In the darkness of the center stage, dancers in white sit with their backs
to the audience. Three dancers wearing the traditional Korean bride's
masks move across the stage, their bodies bent and crooked. Kang Mi-ri
proceeds to divide the stage with tiny movements. The three masked dancers
symbolize the sun, the sky and the earth, respectively. Seven dancers
in fixed positions on stage suggest the living power of a willow as they
slowly sway, shift and droop. During the performance, the audience can
actually feel the changes of nature and unconsciously follow the development
and life of the willow tree. |
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| Tomb by Kang Mi-ri |
The three dancers wearing bridal masks in "Talchum" dance
coquettishly; their paper clothes are crumpled, in stark contrast to Kang Mi-ri's
elegant attire. However, the "han-ji" paper clothes have a dynamic visual effect.
The dancers in masks, the three gods which link the heaven, sun and the earth
with nature highlight the Oriental world view. In the last scene, burning incense
falls from the sky to suggest the completion of the circle of life.
Garter Snake
Kim Suk-ja's Garter Snake (1986) is a work which attempts
to symbolically describe the Buddhist faith. The work centers around a girl
whose only wish is to have a flower-patterned belt. One day, while picking vegetables
in the field, she grabs a snake by accident, mistaking it for a belt; she is
bitten and dies. Her mother is deeply saddened but does not give up her life.
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| Dialogue by Bae Jeong-hye |
Pilgrimage by Hong Shin-cha |
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| Wondering in Illusion by Kim
Suk-ja |
Freedom Woman by Kim Suk-ja |
As the curtain is raised, women dancers rush onto the stage,
raising their hands high, and then gather in a corner of the stage. At this
moment, a group of men dancers cross the stage clenching their fists and shaking
them at the women. They describe a village, full of life, bright and cheerful.
But this lively scene soon changes to a mood of strange anxiety. The audience
feels maternal love overshadowing the whole performance. In addition, the constant
sound of Ajaeng (a bowed seven-string instrument) deepens a sense of ever-present,
unknown danger lurking close by.
A critic states that Garter Snake is a work that reflects
the view of the world in Buddhism that a human can be reincarnated only when
he or she sheds desire, even a very small one, and arrives at perfect nothingness.
The choreographer no doubt regards the girl's longing for a flower belt as desire.
She uses this metaphor to emphasize that even a little wish could be termed
a desire, and sends the message that when humans lose such desires through Buddhist
faith, it is only then that they can reach a state of purity. Garter Snake
is a strong technical production. The lighting, which utilizes a slide show,
adds to the mood of the production and also, Wu Jong-kap's Ajaeng playing is
very moving. The choreographer displays the ability to express lyrical emotions
as well as a philosophical subject matter through dance.
Pilgrimage
| Pilgrimage (1997) choreographed by Hong
Shin-cha opens with dancers wearing white cloaks, walking on crutches
and holding bamboo poles on their shoulders. They appear on the stage
and develop their movements very slowly. In tune with the music, they
move their arms repeatedly, as if they are moved by wind, all the while
raising and lowering their bamboo poles. In the course of the pilgrimage,
a little child appears and distributes lilies to the dancers who are now
free of their bamboo burdens. The dancers take off their white cloaks,
depicting the collapse of the strict class system in feudal society. The
dancers stand in a line and reach out their arms to symbolize the harmony
of humans, plants, animals and nature. |
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| Tomb by Kang Mi-ri |
An Outing of Princess Yoseok
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An Outing of Princess Yoseok (1988), co-choreographed
by Kim Bok-hee and Kim Hwa-suk, is a story about the beautiful Silla Kingdom
princess Yoseok and Wonhyo, the most influential Buddhist priest of the
Silla era. Yoseok causes Wonhyo to break the Buddhist vow of celibacy,
however, ironically, such behavior leads Wonhyo to Nirvana. They give
birth to a boy, named Seolchong who also becomes a Buddhist priest and
earns fame for his devotion and learning. Here too, the main motif is
the Buddhist belief in the transmigration of the soul. |
| The Place by Kim Ki-in |
Dancers wearing skin-colored tights express the agony of both
the ancient times and the present day. Love, nirvana, erotic aesthetics and
anxiety are all themes of this work. The choreographer analyzes Princess Yoseok
as an ordinary woman and magnifies the meaning of apostasy in its modern sense.
Kim Hwa-suk has already used the Raga and Buddhist ceremonies from India as
motifs in her choreography Poetry of Exultation (1971). In this work,
she uses wooden gongs and a temple bell as motifs. Her unconventional performances
and religious themes have caused her to be in conflict with conservative modern
dancers over the proper definition and scope of modern dance.
Neomborasal (ultraviolet rays)
Neomborasal (1997) reconfirms Kim Eun-hee's ability
to keep the audience riveted to her performances. Kim performs series on a pile
of sawdust in the center of the stage. Her face seemingly lacks expression but
conveys a certain rage. In the introduction, accompanied by the Korean traditional
folk song "Arirang," she stands still, her back to the audience, completely
motionless except for her head and neck. Wearing a black dress, the dancer then
suddenly turns, spins, bends her knees and moves to the other side dragging
her feet. These movements are incredibly quick and explosive.
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| Neomborasal II(Ultraviolet rays)
by Kim Eun-hee |
Spirits on the Ice by Kim Sin-a |
Soul-Colored Shadow by Oh Eun-hee |
Walking Bird II by Kim Yoon-su |
Neomborasal II (1998), the second piece in the Neomborasal
series, also employs a death motif. It develops the ritual of parting with the
dead. A two-meter platform is placed on the stage and incense is burnt. Kim
Eun-hee, who wears white paper clothes and whose hair is in disarray, sits on
an altar. Red paper squares cover the stage floor. Four boxes lie in each corner.
The boxes contain brushwork ink. Kim Eun-hee moves slowly onto the platform
and then descends from the altar with a short crying sound.
While the traditional "chang" solo, titled "Cheongsalli Byeokgyesuya,"
is played, Kim Eun-hee walks to the square space covered with red paper. She
puts her feet into the box, sits down, stands and begins to walk. These movements
are repeated, leaving black footprints on the red paper. These footprints symbolize
the dead's lingering attachment to this world and the mourning of the person
who faces the shadow of death. Kim Eun-hee grasps the red paper and launches
into a manic dance of horror. As the heroine disappears, a woman's laughter
is heard. The shadow of death which Kim Eun-hee has struggled to conquer still
remains about her. The red square, the black footprints on it, and other strong
symbols throughout the performance manifests Kim Eun-hee's artistic individuality.
Munyeodo and Skyline of Tibet
Munyeodo (1984) choreographed by Kook Soo-ho is based
on Kim Dong-ri's novel of the same title. Kook Soo-ho shows a solid stage structure
and powerful movements to express the Chinese philosophy of "Ki (energy)" throughout
the production. Kim Dong-jin's stage art includes funeral streamers which hang
from the murky sky. Live music is played with various Korean traditional string
and wind instruments: "jang-go," "dae-gum," "ajaeng," "hojeok," "danso," "danjeok,"
"gayagum," "jing," "geomungo," "piri" and "top."
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| Munyeodo by Kook Soo-ho |
Into Time by Hong Shin-cha |
Becoming by Kang Mi-ri |
Sea of Spirits by Kook Soo-ho |
The heroine of this seven-act piece is a female shaman named
Mohwa. In act one, Mohwa holds a "nolimgut," a sort of exorcism rite. In the
second act, Mohwa's deaf daughter Nang-i prays for her mother and in the last
act of lamentation Kook Soo-ho creates a compelling dramatic dance in which
Nang-i pulls out the soul of her drowned mother from a pond. In some ways, the
dance is too slow and quiet but this is meant to raise the dramatic tension
of the latter scenes. Kook Soo-ho expresses the shaman's enthusiasm and exultation
with an ecstatic dance. Kook learned dancing from farmers music and dance troupes,
which led him to become interested in group dances and shamanist rituals.
Kook Soo-ho's other work, Skyline of Tibet (1998),
is also very ritualistic. The subject matter is drawn from Tibet, which he believes
to be free of the pollution of modern civilization, and presents a mysterious
setting for this work. His work also includes the twin themes of reincarnation
and transmigration of life.
The colorful costumes, the spectacular stage arrangements
and the map of the universe displayed behind the stage reveal strong shamanistic
themes. There are several unique details in this work. The male group dance
stops with all the members raising both arms, this is in contrast to the delicate
movements of the women dancers. Four fairies repeat the movements of scattering
and gathering using the "hansam" gowns. Emphasis is placed on foot position,
which also makes this dance unique. These elements reveal Kook Soo-ho's strong
originality based on his mastery of traditional dance. Lighting and music add
modern sensibilities to the work.
Soul-Colored Shadow
Oh Eun-hee's Soul-Colored Shadow is another work that
is steeped in ritual. The shadow of death suddenly attacks a man after a fortuneteller's
prediction that his death was nigh. With lights hanging on twigs in the air,
Shin Jeung-hyun has conceived a very impressive stage. A prostrate Oh Eun-hee
slowly stands and spreads her arms. These movements make her long and strong
body even more appealing. She bites a flower branch. While jazz music is played,
she moves slowly and carefully across the stage, expressing a playful, childlike
atmosphere by moving the lower part of her body in zigzags or cheerful jumps.
Soul-Colored Shadow is a dialogue between the living
and the dead. At the beginning, after a female shaman performs a divination,
Oh Eun-hee continues dancing alone, crossing the border between life and death.
She plays both the living and the dead, making the suggestion that life and
death do not contradict each other but are part of the same existence. Oh Eun-hee
dances as though her body is stuck to the stage floor. Her movement reflects
her character longing for an earthly life. This 30-minute solo work vigorously
displays a variety of dance styles and elements. |
