Studies on traditional dance have focused mostly on Gibang dance while studies on clever persons' dance have been fragmentary or individual. Accordingly, the current study aimed to analyze various clever persons' dances and dancers such as Han Seong-j...
Studies on traditional dance have focused mostly on Gibang dance while studies on clever persons' dance have been fragmentary or individual. Accordingly, the current study aimed to analyze various clever persons' dances and dancers such as Han Seong-jun, Lee Dong-an and Kim Suk-ja who were from Jaeincheong (Clever Persons Management Office) during the transition from traditional society to modern society, and study dance historic value of their dances that became the matrix of Korean creative dance by being settled as the representative traditional dance of Korea today.
Jaein(才人) means artists groups mainly consisting of male members so called 'Gwangdae (clown)' as a kind of persons of humble birth who engaged in occupations related with folk art since Three Kingdom period according to literature.
Han Seong-jun(1874-1942) was a clever dancer who went through the rule of Japanese imperialism as a great artist of traditional dance as well as famous accompanist and dancer. He established autonomy of traditional dance by reorganizing, generalizing and making it as stage performance. He not only created today's traditional dance by establishing transmission systems of various folk dances including Seungmu (Monk Dance), but also prepared sources for materials of creative dance.
Lee Dong-an(1906-1995) had preserved about 30 dances of Hwaseong Jaeincheong as a professional clown and was also good at song, witticism, beat and rope dancing. He succeeded authenticity of Gyeonggi class while being praised as male dance with formality and dignity.
Although Kim Suk-ja(1927-1991) was female, she was born in the family background of traditional artists related with the shamanism circle and Jaeincheong. So she developed Gyeonggi Shaman Dance and Jaeincheong Dance into stage art and possessed principles and characteristics of Gyeonggi 치ass dance.
Dance historic values of clever persons' dance transmitted by the above persons are as follows.
First of all, they was ranked among traditional art representing Korean culture by being designated as national or provincial intangible cultural assets and became traditional cultural assets having the most Korean style that can be display in the world.
Secondly, their dances function as materials of academic research for junir scholars by being established as a genre of Korean dance together with various folk dances and creative dance.
Thirdly, they contributed to discovery of national identity, establishment of subjectivity, and discover and transmission of traditional dance by becoming representative cases of revival of traditional dance that had been disappearing according to modernization and changes of times.
Fourthly, a lot of dancers are producing many successors through initiating activities by organizing traditional dance preservation associations transmitting their dances and providing performance repertoires for traditional dance lovers.
In addition, clever persons' dance have the following values as a foundation of expanding the range of Korean contemporary dance.
Firstly, they function as motive power in rediscovering the origin from tradition in seeking new methodology of creation and tried to discover nationalistic identity by seeking motive of theme expression from traditional dance.
Secondly, they contributed to dramatic disorganization of dance genre like modern dance by expanding movement elements into body language using traditonal dance materials.
Thirdly, they created a foundation for recreating tradition with new aggressive approach and contributed to development of traditionalistic aesthetics based on Korean dance.
Like this, Jaein dance examined through Han Seong-jun, Lee Dong-an and Kim Suk-ja provides us with very precious value with dance cultural inheritance. Dance historic value of Jaein dance that became traditional dance today functions as a firm support of Korean dance by being designated as an intangible cultural asset, and enriches modern Korean dance by becoming a topic of creation for Korean creative dance. Therefore, understanding and reevaluating Jaein dance can be regarded as part of analyzing our primitive and central life style. Its importance is to analyze how Jaein dance is connected with our life today spiritually through righteous recognition and evaluation of tradition, not just concluding as new recognition of Jaeins, or talented persons.
In conclusion, it is necessary to have steady interest in Jaein dance that was danced by Hwaraengi, clown, Jaein(talented person), etc. related with Jaeincheong at folk festivals in the past. Further development of Korean dance is expected based on various researches.
Although clever persons' dance has dance historic values as stated above, there are several problems. Han Seong-jun dance is being initiated into two subclasses and Lee Dong-an dance is also initiated in two different types by successor. Also Kim Suk-ja dance is being poorly initiated since she passed away. Those conditions should be correct as soon as possible. Therefore, it is urgent to provide administrative consideration through restoration of dances and designation of intangible assets so that clever persons' traditonal dance can be succeeded soundly and sturdily.