Dance of the Orient
Geom-mu(劍舞): The Korean sword dance[1][2]
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1.
Background[3]
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The Korean sword dance has a history of about 1,500 years. There are two ways to call the Korean sword dance. One of them is “Geom-mu”. In Korean, Geom-mu is a compound word of the word “Geom (劍)” that means a sword and the word “Mu (舞)” that means a dance. Another name is “Hwangchang-mu”. Its name originated form the legend of Hwangchang. The
Korean sword dance has been developed into diverse forms as it was
transmitted to local governments. It is significant that
“Geom-mu” preserves the characteristics of court dance in terms
of presentation, dance rhythm, and sword use. |
2.
The legend of Hwangchang[4]
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The
origin of “Hwangchang-mu” goes back to the era of the Three
Kingdoms from the 4th century through the 7th century. At that time, Here is some story about Hwangchang-mu. A boy of Shilla who was called Hwangchang had a great talent for sword dance so that he became famous, even in the enemy kingdom, Backjae. One day, a king of Backjae invited him to appreciate his performance but it was his fault because Hwangchang killed the king during his performance. People in Shilla expressed their respect and sorrow at Hwangchang’s death. To propitiate his loyal dead for Shilla, they started dancing in the imitation of Hwangchang’s dance with a mask that was similar to his face. Thereafter, people named this dance Hwangchang-mu. Some of specialists of the Korean sword dance think that Geom-mu or Hwangchang-mu originated from this story. |
3.
Pictures of Geom-mu(劍舞)[5][6]
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☞ Get more information about Geom-mu
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