Dance with the World! written by 10407 Bang Chae Young

What is a traditional dance? It's not just a movement of the body to the music. Many countries in the world have a variety of traditional dances based on each country's folktales, traditions, weather, characteristics, etc. Therefore, traditional dance is more than just dance. Thinking about it is a good way to know about the different characteristics of the country.

 

England

Morris Dance is one of the folk dances of the United Kingdom, originally introduced by France and other European countries. The dance is made up of only men, dressed up as Robin Hood, a figure from the British legend. Dancers move to music with small drops of Morris Bell on their ankles, bracelets, or belts.

Today, Morris Dance has six styles: Cotswold, North West, Border, Sword Dancing and Mumming. They danced with handkerchiefs and sticks depending on the region, and sometimes with hard metal. They also carry and play flags, which are used similar to handkerchiefs. And certain styles emphasize hand gestures instead of putting on a Morris Bell.

 

China

According to folktales, at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, a monster appeared and killing livestock or ruining crops. These monsters cause damage to people during New Year’s Day.

Then came the opinion that someone should surprise the monster with the Lion Dance. This led to the expulsion of the monster from the distance, since then, people have had the custom of performing Lion Dance every spring.

The lion dance is made up of two people. One takes the action of the head and the other takes the action of the tail. Sometimes, three people dance together, and the third person tries to lure a lion with embroidered balls or wears the mask of Buddha and guides the lion.

 

Brazil

The dance that represents Brazil is Samba. It comes from Afro-Brazilian, an African black man who was brought to Brazil as a slave to the sugar cane fields, where several people danced and danced round and round.

It is characteristic of this dance that several people are dancing or marching in line. Samba dancing is very simple, since you just have to shake your body back and forth and step.

Since then, it has become a national dance in Brazil with less African features and became popular around the world as it was even designated as the official music of the Carnival from the 1940s. The basic rhythm is two-quarters of a beat, very fast, light and energetic. The costumes are also characteristic of samba dancing, which is colorful and unconventional accordingly.

 

Korea

The fan dance belongs to a new dance made in 1954 by dancer Kim Baek-bong and later than that of others. There are many types of dance in the world, including Korean shaman dances, but in this case, the technique of fanning, folding, spinning and spraying, as the name implies, is central to the dance. As the rapid and vigorous movement of these debts affects the entire body. The dance moves seem quiet but lively. The static and dynamic coexist. The harmony is excellent.

The fan dance uses Korean traditional beats, Jajinmori or Gutgeory. While dancing, they also wear colorful decorations in their hair and dance in hanboks.

 

Diversity

Understanding cultural diversity is essential in the age of globalization. Recognizing traditional dance is the first step toward this will help you gain an easier and more interesting access to the culture.

In addition to this, our thoughts will become richer and deeper if we compare our dances and traditional dances of other countries in terms of climate, geography or times.