A Dance of Great Beauty and Graceful Movements - Essay Example

Dance Dance Geommu is a Korean traditional sword dance performed by dancers in unique costumes and entails unique dance motions. It involves a group of six to eight dancers and it is characterized by two unique features. The first feature is the Chum-sawi, a specialized dance motion, and the other feature is the changdan, a rhythimic repetition of long and short movements. The most outstanding feature of this dance is the grace displayed by the dancers during performance. The costumes worn by dancers are designed in a specialized manner, especially the sleeves, to accentuate the movements of the dancer. Besides the costumes, dancers use short swords termed ssang dan geom, which are symbolic to the origins of the dance. The combination of these costumes on dancers is a stylized version of the uniforms worn by the military of the Joseon Dynasty (Tim, 2005).  The origin of the Geommu dance can be traced back to 660 AD during the last reigns of the three kingdoms of Korea when the legend of Geommu began. According to the legend, there was a young boy who had an outstanding talent for sword dance and as a result, became very famous. One day, he was invited by a king from an enemy kingdom to perform his dance. During the performance, the boy killed the enemy king in front of the royal assembly and consequently, he was executed. As a result, the boy’s people honored him by imitating his dance moves while wearing masks and the dance became a traditional dance named after the boy. Time saw to the evolving of the dance during the Joseon dynasty when the name changed, the mask was dropped, and the costumes were adapted (Kim and Lee, 2005).   The Scottish Highland dance is a competitive traditional dancing style that developed in the highlands of Scotland. It is a dance of a highly competitive and technical nature that requires a dancer to practice for a notably long time and reaching the level of perfection takes years. Highland dancing requires the dancer to have a lot of endurance and arm as well as leg strength regardless of their age. It shares many characteristics with ballet, a well renowned dance. This dance is recognized as a sport dance or rather, an athletic event by the Scotland sports council. Over the years, the Scottish Highland dance has been influenced by other styles and aesthetics outside the highland. Ballet has also been a great influence to this dance especially since both dances follow a specific choreography that requires a lot of effort and training (Flett and Flett, 2006).  The Scottish highland dance originated from solo step dancing during the prehistoric time. It was performed by warriors before battle to determine their fate during battle. In this dance, the warriors danced on the balls of their feet in a vigorous manner that requires one to be in their best physical shape (Newton, 2009). Highland dancing engages a combination of dance steps as well as movements of the upper body, hands and arms. In addition, it is a form of step dancing because dancers have to employ a lot of footwork I the choreography. Performers for the highland dance wear specialized shoes because of the footwork involved. Emmerson (2002) points out that these shoes are called ghillies. Costumes for this dance are available in various combinations for both the male and female performers. Males performing the dance wear different combinations of costumes that include Scottish hats and doublets; jackets and shirts in combination with bow ties, waistcoats, and belts; and kilts or trousers with matching sporrans. Females, on the other hand, wear kilts, velvet jackets, lace inserts, and matching tartan hoses (Flett and Flett, 2006).  The Korean Geommu dance and the Scottish Highland dance are both traditional dances that have a rich history behind them which inspired their origin. While the Geommu dance was inspired by the talent of a young boy who sacrificed himself, the inspiration of the Highland dance came from warriors as they prepared for war, and as they celebrated their success. The Geommu dance was primarily performed by females after it got rearranged recreated by the royal court and it has remained so up to the present (Yi and Chan, 2008). The Scottish highland dance, on the other hand, was primarily performed by males until the 1900s. Women had to participate in the dance when the World Wars began so as to maintain the dancing tradition of the highlanders while their men were away fighting in the war. They participated in social dances and even learned solo dances. Ever since then, the number of female dancers of the Scottish highland dance have increased so much that they dominate with more that 95% (Scott and Wilson, 2003).  In both the two dances, performers wear specially designed costumes that draw attention to the movements of the dancers. We can note that the Geommu dancers wear costumes that have different elements combined to create a flawless edition of the uniform worn by the Joseon Dynasty military (Chen, 2008). The focus of the costume is on the sleeves so as to put emphasis on the flawless movements of the dancer. The Highland dancers, on the other hand, wear a combination of different costumes which do not have to look exactly the same as those worn by Geommu dancers. Highland dancers both male and female can wear traditional Scottish outfits which are usually different but combined in a specific order. Because of the intricate footwork associated with the Highland dance, dancers require specialized footwear to ensure their comfortable and efficient dancing. According to Hugh (2004), these shoes are part of their costume because together with other clothes, they present a complete and professional look in a dancer. While the Geommu dance has lost many of the parts characteristic of the original dance, the Highland dance, on the other hand, has undergone many influential modifications from other parts of Scotland (Hugh, 2004).  The dance moves of the two dances entail the movement of the upper body, the arms and the hands. In the Korean Geommu dance, performers undertake their dance motions in a rhythmic cycle. Usually, the dance requires six to eight performers who form two rows and stand facing one another whereby they will be able to dance kneeling down in the formed rows or they can form a circle and the go round and round. While performing this dance, dancers maintain graceful movements that seamlessly shift from one motion to another so as to display a dance of great beauty (Miller and Vandome, 2010). Dancers of the Scottish highland dance employ a lot of footwork especially since the dance is a form of step dancing. Given that this is a competitive and athletic dance, it is mostly done by solo performers who can sometimes pair up regarding the requirement and settings (Emmerson, 2002). References Chen, K. (2008). Traditional performing arts of Korea. Seoul: Ewha Womans University Press. Emmerson, G. (2002). A social history of Scottish dance. Montreal: McGill-Queens. Flett, J., and Flett, T. (2005). Traditional dancing in Scotland. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. Flett, J., and Flett, T. (2006). Traditional step-dancing in Scotland. Edinburgh: Scottish Cultural Press. Hugh, A. (2004). Scotlands dances. Kitchener: Ontario Teachers Association. Kim, M., and Lee, J. (2005). Korean dance. Seoul: Ewha Womans University Press Miller, F., and Vandome, A. (2010). Geommu. Saarbrucken: VDM Publishing Scott, M., and Wilson, D. (2003). Highland dancing: Textbook of the Scottish official board of highland dancing. Ontario: Lindsay Publications. Tim, K. (2005). A brief history of Korea. Seoul: Ewha Womans University Press. Newton, M. (2009). Warriors of the word: the world of the Scottish highlanders. Edinburgh: Birlinn. Yi, P., and Chan, T. (2008). Women in Korean history. Seoul: Ewha Womans University Press. Read More