Mask dance is a traditional masquerade performed while wearing masks that is handed down from various regions of Korea.
From the Three Kingdoms period, including dance music of Goguryeo, instrumental music of Baekje, Cheoyongmu of Silla, and the 5ki, through various mask plays from the Three Kingdoms period to the Joseon Dynasty, including Sanakbaekhee and Goryeo's Sandaejapgeuk, Sandaedogamgeuk was established in the late Joseon Dynasty.
The current events of this Sandaedogamgeuk are Yangju Byeolsandaenori and Songpa Byeolsandaenori in the central region, Bongsan mask dance and Gangnyeong mask dance in the northwestern region, Tongyeong Ogwangdae and Goseong Ogwangdae in the Yeongnam region, and Suyeongyayu and Dongnaeyayu. Hahoebyulsin Exorcism and Bukcheongsaja Noreum are masks with different systems.
Mask dance is mainly composed of music accompaniment, which consists of two parts: a dance part with a song and a theatrical part with gestures and editorials, that is, a line. Many or some of the actors wear masks to represent characters.
There are various types of masks used in mask dance because different expressions are used according to each local mask play.
Wood, paper, and rip-offs are the most used materials for masks. The main colors of the mask are five colors: white, orange, black, brown, yellow, and blue, and there is a mask on the back of the mask, which is tied to the head to cover the entire face with the mask and covers the occipital region with the mask. This is the same for ancient Greek plays and instrumental masks. Like actors in other countries, only commoner men originally wore masks in Korean mask plays.
The musical instruments used in accompaniment music are those of Yukjabi (hexagonal) such as flute, jeodae, jango, drum, kkwaenggwari, and haegeum, and the accompaniment tune is the same as the accompaniment music of folk dances such as Yeombul, Taryeong, and Gutgeori.
Mask dance was originally performed as an outdoor play, and there were no restrictions on the performance time, so usually, when it started in the evening, a bonfire was lit and continued until dawn. The performance period varies depending on the region, but it was also performed as a game for national holidays such as the Lunar New Year's Day, the early April Day, Dano in May, and Chuseok in August, and as a ritual event during the dry season.
These existing mask plays begin with a ritual dance and ritual dance for masks, but through the appearance of Pagye Seung, fallen Yangban, Sangmin, shaman, shrine, Gisaeng, and servants,
The satire of the apostate,
An insult to your superior, sir,
the conflict between a man and a woman,
the plight of ordinary people's lives
Showing that, these themes are divided into several sections and grouped into a kind of omnibus style.
This is common in folk dramas of any country, and it is a folk drama that specifically directs a kind of rebellion and criticism against the privileged class and formal morality. This common people's literature is a trend that has become the mainstream of the common people's culture after the Imjin-Byeongja, two wars in the country, and is also a reflection of the atmosphere of the times when old human relationships, that is, the privileges of the yangban and even the religious authority of the monk, were laughed off.
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