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)