Korean He Dance
01 · Historical Records
The crane dance is an ethnic dance originating in Korea; it has been transmitted in China for a hundred years. During the Yi dynasty the performance of the crane dance underwent new changes: two cranes danced gracefully around two lotus blossoms, forming an independent "crane standing on the lotus platform dance". After it was transmitted to China and reworked and organized by folk artists, its performance form became more complete; it was deeply loved by the broad masses and became popular in the counties and cities of the Yanbian region in the early years after the founding of the People's Republic of China. At present the crane dance is very widely transmitted in Antu County, in the southwestern part of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province. The Korean ethnic crane dance is plain, gentle and expansive in style, and its movement patterns and actions are clearly marked by the imitation of the crane's form. The crane dance is the only bird mask dance among the folk dances of the Korean ethnic group; it reflects the people's reverence for the immortal crane and their ardent pursuit of goodness and beauty.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
In its earliest form it was an interspersed performance within the large-scale court song-and-dance work known as the Five Directions Dance (Wufang Churong dance). In performance, two dancers dress as cranes, imitating the crane's leisurely bearing and such actions as nipping necks, pecking at fish and flapping the arms, and dance in circles around two lotus blossoms.
Crane standing on the lotus terrace
A form that emerged in the Joseon period, in which two cranes dance around two lotus flowers as a self-contained piece.
Interlude in the court dance
The crane dance began as an interlude inside the large court dance Obang Choyongmu before becoming a piece in its own right.
Neck-twining, fish-pecking and wing-waving
The core movements of the crane dance: twining necks, pecking at fish and waving the wings around the lotus.
The crane mask and costume
The only bird-mask dance among Korean folk dances, danced in crane masks and crane costumes.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The centre of transmission of the Korean ethnic crane dance is Antu County, in the southwestern part of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province; the Antu County Cultural Centre is the protecting unit of this project, and the dance is also transmitted in the Korean villages of the other counties and cities of Yanbian. In the early years after the founding of the People's Republic of China the crane dance became popular in the counties and cities of the Yanbian region and a common item in the cultural performances of the Korean masses; the locality incorporated such crane-imitating actions as nipping necks, pecking at fish and flapping the arms into folk dance teaching, and literary and art cadres from Antu and other counties performed it during festivals. The basic form of the crane dance is two dancers dressed as cranes circling around two lotus blossoms, and the dancers must master at the same time the breathing and bending-and-extending movement patterns of Korean folk dance; because prop makers, mask makers and teachers have dwindled, few artists can now perform the "crane standing on the lotus platform dance" in full. Antu County lies at the northern foot of the Changbai Mountains, where the Korean population has gathered; in local folk activities the crane dance is often performed on the same stage as the long drum dance and the fan dance. Antu County lies on the border between China and Korea, and the Korean population there lives mainly by farming; rehearsals of the crane dance are concentrated in the slack farming season and during festivals, and the county cultural centre organizes old artists and literary and art cadres to teach it together; the crane-shaped props also largely follow the models handed down by artists of former times.
Other submitting regions for the same item: He Dance.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The crane dance is a vivid testimony to cultural inheritance, dissemination and recreation. At present this ethnic dance has already reached an endangered state, has few inheritors, and urgently needs rescue and protection.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Chen Fuyan 04-1574
- Tansenrong
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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