Dance

In ancient times, Korean dances were performed in religious ceremonies, so they naturally took on some ritualistic characteristic although they later grew into a form of entertainment. Under the strong influence of Shamanism, Confucianism and Buddhism, Korean dances became full-fledged artistic forms. These traditional dances have dominant characteristics that have been kept alive until today.

Court Dances
Korean court dances, called Chongjae, meaning literally "display of talent," were used to entertain for the royal family, court functionaries, and foreign envoys.

They were also performed on festive occasions sponsored by the state. Some were derived from those of Tang China and called Tang-ak chongjae, while others were newer forms of Korean court dances called Hyang-ak chongjae.

The former were gradually modified by Korean dancers and musicians over the centuries so that it is hard to trace their original traits. Court classics glorifying the court and praying for a long life for the king were formulated in solemn, elegant movements accompanied by equally solemn music and occasional songs.

Today, about 50 court classics are preserved in the National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts, including Kommu (Sword Dance), Ch'oyongmu (Dance of Ch'oyong), Mugo (Drum Dance), P'ogurak (Ball-Throwing Dance), Suyonjang (Banquet Dance), Ch'unaengjon, Kainjommoktan (Beautiful Persons Picking Peonies), and Hangmu.

Folk Dances
Korean folk dances are close to the lives of the people. They sprang from a variety of communal rituals, festive occasions, and cooperative labor.

When they were made and who made them are, of course, unknown. They came forth spontaneously through the years, and their style differs slightly according to region. The indispensable recipe for folk dances is a theme from the lives of working people which give them their own unique regional flavor. While court dances aimed at artistic quality and featured special sequences in choreography, folk dances were improvised, revealing their rather unpolished styles.

Folk dances originated in prayers for good crops in shaman rituals, or evolved from communal forms of entertainment. T'alch'um (Mask Dance), Salp'urich'um, Hallyangmu (Dance of Depraved Young Noblemen), Nammu (the dance of a professional female entertainer wearing a blue male robe), and Kanggangsuwollae (a female roundelay accompanied by that refrain) are those most familiar to the public.

Mask Dances
Mask dances have been handed down under the name of T'alch'um, Sandae nori, Ogwangdae, and Yayu, each rooted in a different region. During ancient times masks were believed to drive away malicious spirits, diseases, and fearsome animals.

Their purposes were: first, to ward off all evils; second, to manifest supernatural beings; third, to honor the deceased; and fourth, to represent totemic animals.

Korean mask dances evolved from dances, music, and dramas performed during P'algwanhoe, the court ceremonies of the Koryo dynasty, during Yondunghoe, a Buddhist ceremony held to pray for the nation's peace and the well-being of the people, and during Narye, the shaman rite held on the lunar New Year's Eve to ward off evils.