South Korea has many dances, and Korean citizens still keep them. One of the famous dances is a Korean folk dance. It engages most of people all over the world. Moreover, it is still loved by many people. There are so many features and types in Korean folk dance.

Korean folk dance has many interesting features. The creators and era of occurrence of this dance are not distinct. However, people consider that Korean folk dance started during the Joseon era. Secondly, this dance portrays general people's feelings such as their simple and instinctive desires or wishes. Also, it has a basic melody, but ordinary people can show their personal creativity. Actually, people's creativity made our dance more beautiful. Moreover, they did not have to prepare powerful clothes and complicated stage settings. However, in talchum which is a Korean folk dance with the use of masks, the dancers have to prepare specific clothes like a mask. Finally, there are not any formalities and laws because it was made by only ordinary people's wishes and desires.

▲ The ancient people in Korea showed their personal creativity.

There are so many types of dances and special history depicted in our folk dance. This dance is divided into three types that have playing characteristics like ganggangsullae, professional characteristics like talchum which is a mask dance, seungmu which is a Buddhist dance, a salpurichum, and religious characteristics like a butterfly dance, and a bara dance. Actually, ancient people wanted to express their simple and instinctive desires or wishes. So, they started to make a Korean folk dance. This dance was not made for the show or the audience. It is because ancient people told their wishes to God, and they achieved their wishes or desires by God. It is the history and origin of the occurrence of our folk dance.

▲ The Korean folk dance portrays ordinary people`s desires or wishes.

Korean folk dance has many features, such as the existence of creator and era, and general people's feeling. Also, it has an interesting history. This dance will spread all over the world, and many people will be interested in it.

December 21st, 2019

Sejeong Kim