Traditinal dances can be divided into court dances and folk dances. Since the court dances aimed to glorify the court and pray for a long life for the king, they were invariably solemn and accentuated by elegant choreography.

To some, however, it might appear as a lack of movement.

The restraint in the dance movement were due to Confucianist influence. To offset the serene movement, the stage settings and costumes were dramatic and opulent. Depending on the theme and role of the dance, there were different garments, shoes and extended sleeves, in particular. The main colors (red,blue,yellow,white, and black)were used to coincide with the five cardinal elements of the cosmos.

Folk dances were easy to understand because they were based on the everyday lives of the commoners. Though styles differ according to region, they all depict festive occasions and community rituals. As in other countries, folk dances originated in prayers for a good harvest or , in some cases, were forms of entertainment. With simple plots, the themes are universal and can easily be understood by everybody, even today.

 

                                                                                                Source of article; THis is Korea( NewRun)

                                                                                                                              by Choi,Jungwha& Lim, Hyang-ok