[Traditional N] From Seungmu to Jindo Drum Dance, the Spirit of Jeolla Da...

Performance by the Namdo Folk Play Culture & Arts Institute. Photo by National Namdo Gugak Center

Rhythm opens the door, and dance breathes upon the melody. The beats of drums and janggu lift the energy of the stage as footsteps and gestures spread across the rhythm. The spirit of Jeolla Province’s traditional dance culture arrives in Jindo through a performance built around the dialogue between music and movement.

When musicians open the path with rhythm, dancers respond through gesture and motion. The performance revives the vitality of traditional Korean dance gatherings, where music and dance continuously pull one another forward.

The Namdo Folk Play Culture & Arts Institute, founded in 2009, has focused on preserving and transmitting the folk arts of Korea’s southern regions. Based on the intangible heritage traditions of Jindo, the organization continues its work through performance, education, and creative reinterpretation of traditional arts.

The opening stage belongs to Kim Myoseon and her performance of Seungmu. Kim is an official transmission educator for the National Intangible Cultural Heritage of Seungmu and a successor to the dance lineage of master Lee Maebang.

Often regarded as one of Korea’s most refined traditional dances, Seungmu is known for its long flowing sleeves, restrained breathing, and rhythmic drum sequences. Kim’s performance is expected to reveal the inner tension and controlled power embedded within the form.

Seo Hanwoo presents Seoljanggu Dance, a performance combining percussion and movement. Seo, currently director of the Seo Hanwoo Beokgu Dance Preservation Society and former artistic director of the Cheonan Heungtaryeong Pungmul Troupe, has long expanded the language of traditional percussion performance through pungmul and drum dance traditions.

In Seoljanggu Dance, the percussionist becomes the dancer. Rhythmic stick movements, footwork, and body balance unfold within a single breath, with movement itself driving the rhythm forward.

Choi Changdeok performs Sapung Jeonggam, a work reflecting the elegance and restrained emotional flow of southern Korean male dance traditions. Choi is a certified successor of both Seungmu and Salpuri Dance and currently serves as director of the Ubon Lee Maebang Dance Seoul Training Center.

Rather than displaying excitement outwardly, the dance slowly releases emotion through subtle shifts in posture, gaze, and breathing. The performance emphasizes the quiet depth characteristic of southern Korean dance aesthetics.

Jeong Myeonghee presents Jogapnyeo-style Min Salpuri Dance. Jeong inherited the tradition from her mother and teacher Jo Gapnyeo, one of the major figures connected to the Namwon gwonbeon dance lineage.

Unlike other forms of Salpuri, this variation is performed without a scarf. Emotion is expressed entirely through breathing, stepping, and the subtle movement of shoulders and eyes, allowing sorrow and excitement to coexist within the body.

Performance by the Namdo Folk Play Culture & Arts Institute. Photo by National Namdo Gugak Center

The final surge of energy comes through Lee Huichun and Jindo Drum Dance. Recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Jeollanam-do since 1987, the tradition combines drumming and dance into a physically dynamic performance style.

Holding drumsticks in both hands, performers create powerful rhythms while moving across the stage with rapid footwork and commanding gestures. The drum establishes the rhythm, while the body expands its energy outward.

The finale, titled “Rhythm Calls, Dance Responds,” brings all performers together into a shared dance gathering. If the earlier performances trace individual artistic lineages, the closing stage unites them into one collective flow—combining the restraint of Seungmu, the rhythmic force of Seoljanggu Dance, the elegance of Sapung Jeonggam, the emotional depth of Min Salpuri, and the explosive energy of Jindo Drum Dance.

“Rhythms That Call Dance in Jeolla” ultimately becomes more than a performance. It reveals how rhythm moves dance, and how dance, in turn, reshapes rhythm itself.

The performance will take place on May 2 at 3 p.m. at Jinakdang Hall of the National Namdo Gugak Center in Jindo, Jeollanam-do.

Reported by News Culture M.J._mj94070777@nc.press

* This article was manually prepared as a translated piece and later proofread and reviewed with the assistance of AI.