As Korean Dance is a dance which expresses inner emotions to the outside, there exist freedoms within such format. Ip Dance is also a form of dance which allows dancers to express their emotions naturally without any specifically defined steps and mov...
As Korean Dance is a dance which expresses inner emotions to the outside, there exist freedoms within such format. Ip Dance is also a form of dance which allows dancers to express their emotions naturally without any specifically defined steps and movements.
Ip Dance was originated from the Dance of Sadangpae and Kwangdae and absorbed by Gisaengs of Kwon Beon, then Ip Dance solidified its position as the most fundamental and essential dance in introductory dance. Soon after, in the 1940s, following the merger and abolition and subsequent dismantling of Kwon Beon, performers of Gisaeng either abandoned all things or have played important roles in developing our traditions so far. Based on such efforts, Ip Dance begun transforming in various ways according to the transmission down from generation to generation and Lee Mae Bang, the deceased Kim Sook Ja, Kwon Myung Hwa, and Choi Hee Seon are individuals who expressed their distinct personality and unique formats to recreate their own styles of Ip Dance. In addition, such individuals solidified their own artistic dances specifically which were filled with their emotions by taking in the change and growth of the performance environment occurred after the 1940s.
Based on such truths, Ip Dance escaped from archetypal movements or fixed forms and possessed intrinsic improvisational characteristics which were expressed differently by an era, performer or situation of the dance.
As such, in order to investigate inherent improvisational characteristics of Ip Dance possessing intermittence and being removed from the framework of basic dance, the origin and genealogy of Ip Dance for each sect of Lee Mae Bang, the deceased Kim Sook Ja, Kwon Myung Hwa, and Choi Hee Seon are investigated. After that, the characteristics of 'improvisation', which was shown in the process of transformation up to the present, was classified and studied in expressional, visual, and auditory aspects. Through this process of symbolizing their emotions into physical movements derived from their less-defined inner feelings, or the process of translating those emotions into visual display, the characteristics of 'improvisation' implied in Ip dance could be found and classified into three main categories.
First of all, Ip Dance of Lee Mae Bang uses Gudgguri as the basic rhythm and three counts, which is the Korean rhythm style, to stimulate performers' excitement, which in turn, brings forth improvisational dance characteristics by excitement. Secondly, Ip Dance of Kim Sook Ja represents Han(恨); the traditional sentiment, from breathing while dancing, and it brings forth a strong dynamism by improvisational and repetitive breathing. Lastly, Ip Dance of Choi Hee Seon which is from the Park Ji Hong faction can be characterized as improvisational creativity and autonomy allowing expression of one's personality based on free formats through transforming process.
In such ways, Ip Dance, one kind of traditional Korean dances transmitted from generation to generation during long period, allows endless change through its inherent improvisational characteristics and independent forms of dance, newly created. Through such, this study has significance in demonstrating the coexistence of freedoms and changes, such as inherent improvisational characteristics as found in Ip Dance, against our rational leading us to believe that traditional dance is something in which is preserved as an original stylized-standardized form. At the same time, this study proposed the possibility that Ip Dance could create new forms of dance by being integrated with Korean Creative Dance.