Focusing on the tendency that researchers and professionals of Korean dance see respiration as the core factor for the movements, this study was conducted to see the relationship between respiration and distinctive movements in Korean dance. Especiall...
Focusing on the tendency that researchers and professionals of Korean dance see respiration as the core factor for the movements, this study was conducted to see the relationship between respiration and distinctive movements in Korean dance. Especially, it focused on identifying the reason why respiration is emphasized in Korean dance, based on which function the respiration does on performing the movements.
The content starts from analyzing the cultural foundation of Korean dance; the northeast Asian outlook on life, environment and body. Then, it continues with studying the features of Korean dance that is mentioned commonly in previous studies. Through this analysis, the study shows that northeast Asians have an integrated mindset which emphasizes the relation of each individual. This mindset is reflected in the principles and features of Korean dance. Through this the reader will see how the northeast Asian cultural factors are mirrored in Korean dance. The Korean dance movement, which conveys the cultural aspects of northeast Asia, is controlled by the effects of respiration. The issue of respiration will be looked into more deeply around the four notions which were mentioned in the previous studies commonly: the lower abdomen, the yin and yang, spiritual energy (氣) and naturalness. The following will see the study result of these four notions around the physical and mental aspect of the performer. The respiration system of Korean dance is a vertical circulation process centered on spine. This makes the continuous connecting movement from head to toe. Moreover, in the process of pursuing the movements that matches the flow of respiration, the body moves as a whole, instead of moving in separate parts. Thus, each part of the body makes a continuous movement, making one big flow. This movement of Korean dance is shown in a curvilinear manner. This can be perceived as focusing more on the flow of small movements, not on the enumeration of highlighting movements. Furthermore, the technique of holding and releasing breath decides the general rhythm of the dance, and also the flow and the artistical characteristic of the dance. Most of all, the Korean dance, which consists of continuous repetition of inhaling and exhaling, creates simple and repeating movements. This allows the performer to experience ‘the state of ecstasy’ during the dance. ‘The state of ecstasy’ is a state where the performer overcomes the normal state of self-being. At this state of mind the performer can experience the dissolvement of boundaries between self and outside world. This can trigger the qualitative artistic improvement in one’s performance. Thus, the respiration is a core base in Korean dance, which affects not only the movement of the dance, but also the mental state of being that the performer has to achieve. This study offers the respiration as the main view point in observing the Korean dance. However, it was impossible to explain all the characteristics of the movements in Korean dance only with the effects of respiration. This means that there are a lot of other key factors that forms the Korean dance. Therefore, along with the respiration system, it will be necessary to look into other factors that consists the Korean dance. Furthermore, based on the result of this study, the relation between the respiration, and the physical and mental state of the performer should be investigated deeper.