First, I came to work on this study because of my personal experience. Whenever I went to the theater in which the performing of Korean traditional dance was put on, I was always unsatisfied because it was quite different from that on site.
That is, t...
First, I came to work on this study because of my personal experience. Whenever I went to the theater in which the performing of Korean traditional dance was put on, I was always unsatisfied because it was quite different from that on site.
That is, the western-style theater is supposed to devide between performers and audience yet our traditional art is characterized by special bond between them.
My study was to fill the void. If so, isn't there any approach available?
I attempted to search for a solution in shaman rituals, "gut".
Gut is not only traditional religious rituals but also a form of performing combined with various performances like singing, dancing and acting,
Jin-do Sittgim Gut was chosen to be reviewed because I thought that it might be relevant to find out some distinctions and issues by comparing two cases: when the performing of traditional arts was put on the western-style theater and when that was traditionally staged. Not only Jin-do Sittgim Gut have been passed down by heredity shamans, with folk culture such as dance, music and folk songs well preserved in it, but also they have been staged and changed with a variety of forms.
For the research, video materials was comparatively analyzed based on some information in literature.
As a subject of the research, Jin-do Sittgim Gut performances from 1995 to 2002 were selected and classified by time and performance characteristics because it is difficult to generalize with only a couple of cases, which might be specified yet fail to be comprehensive.
Sittgim Gut were performed in a variety of levels of change as follows; performed in the theater though almost without being changed; staged without a process of 'Nolimadang'; totally metamorphosed into a western version, choreographed and directed.
The comparative analysis in the research focused on the 'relationship between performers and audience' where, as thought, there are distinctions between the traditional performing arts and western-style. Furthermore, this 'relationship' might be a key word searching for an identity of performing of Korean traditional arts.
Additionally, it was the openness that played an important role in making audience taking part in the performance on their own and non-discriminately, with a sense of group.
As discussed above, after comparing two cases of Jin-do Sittgim Gut, between non-changed and changed to be put on the stage, a conclusion reached that there are a lot of dramatic changes on stage and with a process and development, costumes to be put on the stage.
And the performances were modernly set on stage and choreographed to adjust to the western theater. Most of all, closeness, the characteristics of western-style theater system, was employed, which leaded to a passive and closed relationship between performers and audience.
However, ironically, the drawback in the performing of traditional arts presented above might be a key to broaden the horizon.
If a mechanism is devised to put on the stage some factors, based on equality between performers and audience, such as changeability, improvisation, flexibility and openness characterized by Korean traditional arts, audience may enjoy the performances on the western-style theater yet with unique.
With this idea in mind, it is suggested that choreographers or directors involved in designing a performance should try to materialize a new form of performing Korean traditional arts encompassing its identity.
This new form is to embrace the wholeness of Gut as below; open to a new frame of thought without being pressed under the concept of the western-style stage; harmony with a variety of genres; encourage diversity from expended materials in creating.
With these trials and efforts, it is expected that tradition is successfully renewed, developed and passed down to next generations, reflecting reality and sharing its values among contemporaries.