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- Perspectives on Korean Dance
The first comprehensive English language study of Korean dance.
Winner of the Congress on Research in Dance's (CORD) Outstanding Publication Award (2003)
From palace to village street to international stage, Korean dance is a vibrant and complex art comprised of many different forms. In Perspectives on Korean Dance, Judy Van Zile brings together the first comprehensive English language study of this multifaceted art. Van Zile's broad overview includes explanations of key terminology and iconography, as well as discussions of the Korean National Treasure system, the role of shamanic dances when they are performed outside of sacred or ritual contexts, and facets of the careers of Kim Ch'on-hung, a former court dancer, and Ch'oe Sung-hui, who toured the US in the late 1930s. A final chapter examines the role of Korean dance in Hawai'i, where it is an important and at times contested identity marker for residents of Korean ancestry.
Explorations of specific dances and dancers illustrate how Korean dance functions in a variety of contexts as an expression of cultural identity. As Van Zile shows, the forms of Korean dance have been modified and reinvented through the process of cross cultural influence‚ through colonialism, governmental support and intervention, and community building among emigrants as they vie for legitimacy on the national and international stages. The book is lavishly illustrated with 42 color plates and includes a helpful glossary of Korean terms.
List of Illustrations
Preface
Introduction
Part one: A Broad View
The Many Faces of Korean Dance
Korean Dance Terminology: The Politics of Words
Dance and Korea's National Treasure System: A Contemporary Ritual System for Preserving and Constructing Identity
Part two: A Closer Look
Ch'oyongmu
Chinju Kommu
Movement in Shamanic Contexts: An Inquiry
Kim Ch'on-hung: Portrait of a Performing Artist Teacher
Part Three: Beyond Korea's Shores
Ch'oe Sung-hui: A Korean Dancer in the United States
Korean Dance in Hawai'i : Immigrant Issues and Cultural Ownership
Afterword
Appendixes
Judy Van Zile is Professor of Dance at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. She lives in Honolulu.
"Perspectives on Korean Dance surpasses other volumes in range and depth. ...Perspectives on Korean Dance unquestionably is a major contribution to the available English-language resources on Korean dance and Culture ...Perspectives on Korean Dance is an impressive accomplishment and a landmark contribution to extant materials. It is a volume that should be included in any collection dealing with Korean culture and dance specifically and East Asian dance in general."
~Richard Nichols, Penn State University, Asian Theatre Journal
""Korean dance is one of the great dance traditions of the world, and until this work by Van Zile there has been nothing so comprehensive, accurate, detailed and delightful on Korean dance. This well rounded study of a culture developed from the point of view of its dance culture combines the best of objective and qualitative scholarship.""
~Joann Kealiinohomoku, Cross-Cultural Dance Resources, Inc.
""Perspectives on Korean Dance surpasses other volumes in range and depth." "Perspectives on Korean Dance unquestionably is a major contribution to the available English-language resources on Korean dance and Culture" "Perspectives on Korean Dance is an impressive accomplishment and a landmark contribution to extant materials. It is a volume that should be included in any collection dealing with Korean culture and dance specifically and East Asian dance in general.""
~Richard Nichols, Penn State University, Asian Theatre Journal
""This volume is much needed for the field of dance studies. Well-researched and well-written, it is the only resource of its kind in English.""
~Vicky Risner, Library of Congress
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