Oyangseon (五羊仙, Daoist hermits of five sheep) is known as one of the fourteen dances of Dangakjeongjae (唐樂呈才, Chinese court dance). It has been performed since the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) as a royal dance transmitted from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) of China with a background of the Oyang (五羊, Five sheep) legend. The existing research on Oyangseon focuses on the transformation of Oyangseon, production composition, and narrative analysis based on historical materials, though with little examination of symbolic or metaphorical expressions in choreography. Oyangseon is a dance performance based on a folk tale set in Chinese Weo (越) culture. According to W. Eberhart, Weol culture was developed in combination with the Thai culture and the Yao culture. The present study aims to provide an interpretation of Oyangseon based on the motifs and cultural elements of Oyangseon’s tale from a Weol cultural perspective. Oyangseon's tale tells the story of five sheep delivering grain from the holy world to the human world for a good harvest and well-being. Oyangseon can be understood as a work strengthening or renewing royal authority by invoking the relation between spirituality and farming. Jukgan (竹竿, a bamboo pole) is a ritual-offering-object widely used in Chinese palaces and even in the private sector which represents the presence of deity. Meanwhile, the choreography of Jeonjae is same as the Chinese Ubo (禹步). Marcel Granet said Ubo is an expression of the one-legged goblin's walking (movement) in Chinese myth. The goblin can be recognized as the mountain god or mountain god's messenger whose appearance is interpreted as a metaphor of blessing to human world.

It is possible to determine how nongak (traditional Korean music performed by farmers) was sustained and what changes happened through various records including the history of lives and experiences of nongak performers, their personal diaries, village journals, village self-governing document, village minutes, etc. Using these records, this study elucidated the continuance and changing spectrum of nongak inherited in Sopo-ri, Jindo-gun, Jeolanam-do, the factors of change in and creation of tradition by village nongak, and the phenomenon of geolgul-jinbeomnon becoming permanent in Sopo-geolgun-nongak due to its designation as an cultural asset. This study also examined the identity of geolgun in Sopo-geolgun-nongak and how this designation became permanent. The composition of percussionists in the current Sopo-geolgun-nongak, such as the Jipsa, Mudong, Jorijung, Posu, Changbu, and Nongi(Nongu), or the performances of Geolgul-jinbeomnon had ben reconstructed since the mid-1980s based on the nongak document called Seosan-daesa-jinbeop-gungo from Haenam and other similar records. This was verified in this study through the changes in organizational composition of nongak bands since the 1960s. Nongak passed down in Sopo-ri was variously called as Sopo-ri Reconstruction Youth Society Nongak, Jindo Nongak, Geolgun Nongak, and Sopo-geolgun-nongak, etc. This study focused on examining the processes of Jindo Nongak Preservation Village formation and the designation of Sopo-geolgun-nongak as an intangible cultural asset in Jeolanam-do.

This study inquires into the name of the Dutbeki dance Ulsan folk people’s traditional dance. This study investigates the meaning of the name of “Dutbeki,” various Dutbaki plays that were fused into other folk dances, and finally the independently transferred Dutbeki play itself. The prior literatures and the process officially confirm the name of ‘Dutbeki’. In 2016, the Ulsan Metropolitan City conducted a complete survey of intangible cultural heritages and officially recognized the Dutbeki of the region as “Ulsan Dutbeki”. This was based on the relevant regulation of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Survey of Ulsan Metropolitan City that formally confirmed the name as “Ulsan Dutbeki”. In this study the name is suggested as the “Ulsan Dutbeki Chum” to honor the tradition of the dance naming. This contributes to establish the foundation for preserving intangible cultural heritages and inheriting traditional culture in Ulsan Metropolitan City.

The aim of this research is to understand the dance culture in the government office space of the Joseon Dynasty (1392 ~ 1910). The objects of the analysis are 32 pictures of dancing in local government office space. Iconography and literature research are used as basic research methods, and comparative study is used as well. Chronologically, pictures of dancing in local government space appeared from 1580 to 1796, geographically from Pyeongando to Jeju Island. Most of the dance genres shown in the pictures were jeongjae. The performers in the pictures of dancing included female dancing entertainers called as ginyeo, boy dancers called as mudong, cheoyong dancers, and clowns also. Furthermore, the pictures revealed that a government officer and old men invited at the banquet danced together in the local government office space. This was because dancing was recognized as something wonderful that only a peaceful time allowed. In the Joseon Dynasty, the government office space was the place where people could enjoy dancing.

This research attempted to clarify trends of Korean dances during the 1960s by analyzing dance video data from the National Gugak Center’s Garfias Collection. The Garfias Collection is an archive of Korean performing arts that was donated by American music anthropologist Robert Garfias in 2019. In 1966, Garfias stayed in Korea for several months and recorded Korean traditional performing arts through photographs and videos. In this collection, there are 14 video clips of Korean dances of the 1960s, which can be classified into three sections: court dance, Buddhist dance, and folk dance. Various literature surveys and expert interview were conducted to investigate the background and activity status of the performers at the time, as well as the costumes, dance movements and the composition patterns of each dance. In the case of court dance, they were performed before systematic restoration based on literature had been carried out, and it was found that the progress was faster and contained more creative elements than the current one. In Buddhist dance, it has proceeded almost identically to what is currently being performed, but it can be said that the pace of progression is faster and the individuality of the dancer stands out. Finally, in folk dance, it provided an opportunity to gain a new perspective on the formation of traditional dance since the video showed a very different aspect from the dance that is currently being transmitted.

The Korean-Chinese Janggo dance is a symbolic national art of the Korean-Chinese and a symbol of the Korean-Chinese culture. This study aims to research how Korean traditional culture, Janggo dance, developed and settled into the Korean-Chinese Janggo dance in China. To this end, we examine the changes of the Korean-Chinese Janggo dance by period and the characteristics of its choreography for the succession and development of the Korean-Chinese culture. First, the Korean-Chinese dancers pursued the development of national dance for succession and development of their culture, and also they attempted projects to discover, organize, and recreate the Korean-Chinese dance based on different perspective and ideas from China. Second, the Korean-Chinese Janggo dance has developed, reflecting the changes and development of The Korean-Chinese Janggo dance by period. Third, the artistic feature of the Korean-Chinese Janggo dance emphasizes the beauty of the dancer's body and expresses the harmony of the dancer's gestures as well as expressions with the Janggo dance and music. We hope that this paper would devote itself to the development of the Korean-Chinese Janggo dance and be used as a basis for future research.

The purpose of this article is to investigate the dance practiced in private spaces during the Joseon dynasty by analyzing paintings and literature. This study is the third part of a series of research exploring paintings depicting dances in various performance venues in the Joseon dynasty. While the first two researches were about dances performed in royal palaces and in public places respectively, this article analyzes paintings and literature of dances in private spaces in the following three ways.

First, dances performed in the personal social gatherings were divided into three types according to the subject: dances performed at social gatherings for the elderly, reunions of officials who passed the national civil service examination in the same year, and social gatherings for the middle class. These dances were performed to strengthen the community spirit or to appreciate the performances of professional young male dancers called mudong.

Second, dances performed to celebrate the longevity of parents on their birthdays are analyzed. In such events, the mother was considered the most important character as well as audience, and the concept of “filial piety” was emphasized in the “Son’s Dance.”

Finally, dances conducted in private folk venues are examined. Some of these paintings portray a son who dances as a “performer” to celebrate his parents’ diamond wedding anniversary. Other paintings depict a clown dancing in a three-day parade where a person who passed the national civil service examination visits his examiners, high-ranking senior officials, and his relatives.

This study examines the court and private versions of Yukhwadae (六花隊, Formation of six flowers) of the Joseon Dynasty in order to identify the pattern of coexistent and exchange of different cultures such as the royal court and the private sector. The development and changes of Yukhwadae illustrate a way of cultural transformation of dance.

To clarify the cultural transformation of Yukhwadae, this study analyzes the court's documentary records centering on Akhak Gyebum (Canon of Traditional Music) and the civilian literature records centering on the records of Gyobang Gayo (Song of Gyobang).

In Yukhwadae, which was transferred to the public from the courts revealed through literature, all ritual articles of Dangakjeongjae, such as jukganja (pole bearer), uimul (instrument), and changsa (song or chant), were eliminated, and the overall format was simplified. In addition, the content of dance was selectively accepted and reinterpreted, and costumes and music were transformed to be suitable for the private sector. Therefore, through this study, it was found that the strict form of the royal court Yukhwadae was exchanged with the private sector and transformed into a popular and diverse form suitable for civilian performances.

As such, it was found through the results of this study that different cultures were exchanged between the royal court and the private sector during the Joseon Dynasty. I suggest to consider dance from a perspective of cultural exchange, researching various dance cultural exchanges, and contributing to the development of dance.

This thesis examines the current status of the dance research of North Korea in three areas: research on dance history, research on dance theory, and the transmission and research of the cultural dance heritage. We investigate comprehensively by looking into the history of North Korean dance by identifying the artistic purpose of North Korea and the ways dance history books organize its history, and the research trend. In particular, it should be understood correctly on condition that the ideology contained in the dance, the social-cultural context, and the dance as a comprehensive art must be studied in paralleled with various theoretical systems, aesthetic characteristics, principles, and methods from a multifaceted perspective.

The history and culture of dance that could not be explained with old materials alone have been identified scientifically, newly established, and systematized in North Korea, and based on this, North Korean dance scholarship focused on the study of theory and method on the issues regarding transmission of the excellent traditions and dance heritage of the nation. This focus become an important guideline to the development of dance art in North Korea.

In addition, more systematic theoretical studies have been conducted in various ways, including Korean dance history, basic dance theory, and dance notation. These studies are significant in laying the foundation for the systemic and scientific study of dance theory. That would support the basics of dance, dance creation, and theoretical investigation.