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Traditional Dance
 Korea's traditional dance, like its music, can be classified into
either court dances or folk dances. The slow, gracious movements of
the court dances reflect the beauty of moderation and the subdued
emotions formed as a result of the strong influence of Confucian
philosophy. In contrast, the folk dances, mirroring the life, work and
religion of common people, are exciting and romantic, and aptly
portray the free and spontaneous emotions of the Korean people. Court
dances are called 'jeongjae,' and include hwagwanmu (a flower crown
dance), geommu (a sword dance), cheoyongmu, mugo, suyeonjang and
gainjeonmokdan. Folk dances include talchum (a mask dance), seungmu (a
monk dance) and salpuri.
Traditional Music
 Traditional music can be divided into two types: jeongak, or the music
of the royal family and the upper classes, and minsogak, or folk
music. Jeongak has a slow, solemn and complicated melody, while
minsogak is fast and vigorous. Jeongak is divided into two types:
yeomillak and sujecheon. Minsogak is also divided into two types:
seongak (vocal music), which includes pansori, minyo and gagok , and
giak (instrumental music), which includes the sanjo and samullori
styles. The first noteworthy characteristic of Korean court music is
its leisurely tempo. As a result, the mood of this music is meditative
and reposeful.
Traditional Paintings
 From the murals of ancient tombs to the paintings of the Joseon
Dynasty (1392 ~ 1910), there are a number of indigenous Korean styles.
Korean artists have an inclination toward naturalism, in which
subjects such as landscapes, flowers or birds are rendered in ink and
colored pigments on mulberry paper or silk. In the middle Joseon
Dynasty, noble artists established new style in Korean painting. Folk
Paintings, which described the joys and sorrows of people's lives,
became popular. |
Information
provided by Korea National Tourism Organization.
