Significance of Seungmu

A modern master of seungmu, Korea’s Jeong Je-Man said the following in regards to the dance’s overall symbolism: 

“I believe seungmu transcends the boundaries set by religious or cultural traditions. I think the overall flow of the acts, as it ascends to a climax and then regains a sense of calm, is a lot like life.  You start out as a helpless child then grow into an energetic youth, and then things slow down as you age.”  Jeong even went on to create his own rendition of seungmu called, “108 seungmu.”  Jeong and 108 other seungmu performers performed the dance outside of Seoul’s olmpic park to raise awareness for the dance.  The 108 symbolizes the 108 bows one performs to Buddha and those 108 bows symbolize the 108 periods of anguish that man goes through in a lifetime.

            The outstanding reason for seungmu’s importance to Korean culture seems to lie in the fact that it incorporates the most important aspects of Korean dance into one art form.  Jeong states that the dance is to be performed with the great seriousness reflected in traditional Korean dance, and that each step must be performed with exactness and care.  Despite the serious nature of the dance, it can be entrancing, and is considered a form of “seon” (선) or meditation.  When Jeong was being trained in the art of seungmu, he spoke of his master and the calming effect of this dance on the soul, “My teacher (Han Young-suk) was a very devout Buddhist. She frequented the temple very often. Seungmu is a form of seon (meditation.)  You try to purge yourself of your sins and worries through dance.”  In addition to reflecting the most important aspects of Korean dance, culture, music, as well as Buddhism, seungmu provides an escape for those who undertake learning and performing this intricate dance.  Just as the five stages of the dance represent our movement through this life, those performing the dance can see the grander picture of life through the diversity of the varying stages of this dance.

Aesthetic

While the dance itself was modified by the gisaengs, the traditional monk wardrobe is still worn by performers of the dance.  The costume itself resembles that of traditional garb worn by Buddhist monks at the time of seungmu’s coming about.  The performer wears the traditional robe known as “jangsam” (장삼), long sleeves called “gasa” (가사), and a white hood known as a “gokal.”  The most important part of the seungmu aesthetic, however, is the drum, known as the “bubgo” (법고)


While most Korean traditional performances can be done easily with simply a drum, seungmu involves the performer playing a drum alongside a six-piece orchestra accompaniment.  The actual dance of seungmu is divided into five acts.  Dancers always begins the first act kneeling down with their face to the floor.  This first act involves heavily the use of the long sleeves (gasa) to make different shapes in the air.  This first act is also considered to be the heaviest in Buddhist undertones.  The second and third act are considered a bit less worship-centered, however, the whole of the dance is of a very serious nature.

Seungmu performer

Hello!

People dance for many different reasons.  In a social context, some dance to meet new people or for courtship.  In the case of classical dance, people train to be experts in the dance and demonstrate their skill to others perhaps in a competition.  Other dances, however, transcend this material world in their ambition of honoring or representing a deity or greater power. 

In the land of Korea, one such example of the latter is seungmu, a dance performed by Buddhist
monks (commonly called “seunim (스님)”.)  The word “seungmu” comes from two Chinese characters, “seung (승)” meaning monk, and “mu (무)” meaning dance (Korean Dictionary.)  It is most often performed as a solo piece and utilizes drums played by the dancer.

History

There has been extensive speculation as to the origins of seungmu.  Some sources say that it is a descendant of old Buddhist mask dances known as talchum (탈춤.)  탈춤Others claim it came about as a result of one monk’s trying to sufficiently show repentance for previous sins.  Most experts, however, concede that it comes from a ritual designed to show homage to Buddha.  The dance itself is believed to trace back about 500 years.  (ACCU) The dance, its movement, and purpose all stem from Buddhist beliefs, and if one wishes to understand this incredible culturally significant art form, it helps to know the origins of Buddhism and its spread to the Korean peninsula.

The religion of Buddhism comes from the teachings of one man.  The man who would later on come to be known as Buddha lived in India in the 6th century, BC.  He lived a very lavish life, but forsook it all in a quest to understand the roots of human suffering.  His quest for that knowledge and the results of his search give us the tenants of the Buddhist religion.  The religion spread throughout much of Asia, but it was not until the 4th century AD that Buddhism reached Korea.
Some say that dance expresses that which cannot be adequately expressed in words. In the case of Seungmu, it did exactly that for Korean people who literally could not (by law) practice Buddhism.  The Korean government initially did not allow common people to practice Buddhism, so Seungmu was used as a way to express those beliefs without using words and to avoid scrutiny from the government during the middle of the Choseon (조선) dynasty (this dynasty lasted from the late 1300s to almost the 20th century, and North Korea to this day still refer to their country as “Choseon.”) (ACCU)

The dance has been propagated throughout the centuries and survives to this day.  It is considered nationally an important and distinguishing part of Korean culture.  It was designated as Korea’s, “Important Intangible Cultural Asset No. 27” in 1968.  (Buddhist Channel) More recently, however, the dance itself has been turned from a ritual to more of a folk-type dance.  This is due to a group of individuals known as the “gisaengs (기생).”  Gisaengs (women were known as “ginyeo”) first appeared during the Goryeo dynasty (the word “Korea” in English is derived from the name of this dynasty) and are comparable to the Japanese Geisha.  They were artists who performed for royalty, but were considered to be on the same social level as slaves.  The modern Seungmu dance came about as a result of these gisaengs and their “folk-dancifying” of seungmu. (New World Encyclopedia)