Dance encyclopedia

Cheoyongmu

Korean dance of Cheoyong.

Cheoyongmu
Image: Court painters such as Kim Jinyeo, Park Dongbo, Jang Deukman, Heo Suk, etc · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

About Cheoyongmu

Cheoyongmu (Korean: 처용무) is a Korean mask dance based on the legend of Cheoyong (처용; 處容), a son of the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea. It is also the oldest surviving Korean court dance created during the Unified Silla period. Cheoyongmu has also been considered as a shamanistic dance because it was performed to drive off evil spirits at the end of the year.

The dancer's movements are usually majesty and vigour. It also depends on the style & tempo of music, which punctuated by various lyrical song recitations. The dance is always performed by five dancers, and its costumes and masks are noteworthy.

It is inscribed in UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List from 2009 and enlisted as South Korean Intangible Cultural Property from 1971.

From the Wikipedia article “Cheoyongmu”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.