One Dance, from 佾舞 (II)

choi

(1) One Dance by Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre. Korean Cultural Center New York, undated
https://www.koreanculture.org/pe ... 023/07/20/one-dance
("Presented by The Sejong Center

July 20 - 22, 2023
        • Thursday, July 20, 2023 at 7:30 PM
        • Friday, July 21, 2023 at 8:00 PM
        • Saturday, July 22, 2023 at 2:00 PM

David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center
(20 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023)

Ticket: $30 ~ $190
        • Special Discount (20%) Promo Code : KCCNYOD

[video]

                         The Finest Group Choreography
                A Crescendo of Elegance and Energy
                        The Essence of K-Arts

One Dance (Il-mu) has been described as 'a wonderful blend of traditional and contemporary dance that reflects the times we live in.'

It's a modern interpretation of ceremonial dance from traditional Korean court music, Jongmyo Jeryeak, designated as 'Intangible Cultural Heritage' by both the Korean government and UNESCO. A performance of 'Il-mu,' originally played in a formation of several rows and columns of dancers, is recreated by Korean dance choreographer Hyejin Jeong (Artistic Director of the SMDT) in collaboration with modern dance choreographers Sung Hoon Kim and Jae Duk Kim.

A classic yet contemporary reinterpretation of ceremonial Korean traditional dance, the performance features a large formation and picturesque stage that creates a sense of grandeur, harmony, and balance. Kuho Jung, a Creative Director who has made a name for himself in fashion and the arts, offers his audience a compelling mise-en-scène that captures the essence of K-Arts in a feast for the eyes and the soul")

Note:
(i) The website of Korean Cultural Center New York describes itself this way:"Inaugurated in 1979, the Korean Cultural Center New York is a branch of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea."
(ii) Sejong Center
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sejong_Center
(full name: Sejong Center for the Performing Arts 世宗文化會館; section 2 Resident companies: Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre among others)  
(iii)
(A) mise-en-scène (n; Did you know?)
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mise-en-scène
(B) French-English dictionary:
* mise (noun feminine): "placement; (act of) putting"
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/mise
* scène (noun feminine): "scene, stage"
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/scène
   ^ The English noun scene came via Middle French, then Latin, from Ancient Greek skēnḗ "scene, stage")
(b) In yesterday's posting, Note (c)(ii) was 부록 (pronunciation: burok; hanja: 附錄), which clearly stated Munmyo Cherye-ak 文廟祭禮樂, Yet the above states "Jongmyo Jeryeak" 宗廟祭禮樂.
(c) It turns out that aak music (see (d) ) AND ilmu dance is performed in both temples.
(d) Korean court music
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_court_music
(궁중음악 gungjung eumak [宮中 音樂]) comprises three main musical genres: aak [雅樂], an imported form of Chinese ritual music; a pure Korean form called hyangak [鄕樂]; and a combination of Chinese and Korean styles called dangak [唐樂]"/ section 1 History, section 1.1 Aak: " The types of Chinese court music within the aak genre included Korean royal processional music, referred to as daechwita [大吹打]; munmyo jeryeak, Confucian shrine music; jongmyo jeryeak; also known as royal ancestral shrine music * * * ")
(e) Two different temples in SEOUL (You can relate due to your familiarity with Chinese):
(i) Munmyo
(A) Munmyo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munmyo
(photos: Daeseongjeon 大成殿; Sinsammun 神三門) (a shrine); section 2 Present day: "A ritual Munmyo jerye 文廟祭禮 * * * which involves music and dance, is held there each year in the spring (April) and autumn (September)" )

Twice a year, that is.
(B) Ngah (writer), Munmyo Confucian Shrine, Seoul, Korea, South. Asian Historical Architecture, Sept 23, 2013
https://www.orientalarchitecture ... yo-confucian-shrine
("Munmyo was the Royal Confucian Academy and National Confucian Shrine in Joseon [朝鮮] Korea (1392-1910). About 200 students were admitted each year to study for the upper level civil service examinations, the key to prestigious official posts. Ritual observances to Confucius and other enshrined sages are performed here even today * * * The site is often referred to as the Seoul Munmyo and Seonggyun-gwan (서울 문묘와 성균관) to differentiate it from other Munmyo (Confucian shrines) established in different locales. Originally built in 1398 in the 7th year of King Taejon [(朝鮮)太祖] of Joseon, it was destroyed by fire just two year later but was subsequently rebuilt. The whole complex was torched during the Imjin war [hanja: 壬辰倭亂; 豊臣 秀吉 invaded Korea 1592-1598; Ming intervened and beat back Japan; however, Ming was weakened irreversibly by the war and and collapsed in 1644] with Japan (1592-98) but was restored from 1601-06 under King Seonjo [(朝鮮)宣祖; the 14th king of Joseon]"/ layout: bird's-eye view)

Korean-English dictionary:
* 서울 Seoul
* 문묘 文廟
* 와 wa (preposition) with
* 성균관 Seonggyun-gwan 成均館 (Wiktionary: "Korea's highest institute of learning during the late Goryeo [高麗] and Joseon dynasties") ; Both Wiktionary and en.wikipedia.org, however, romanize it as Sungkyunkwan.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sungkyunkwan
(ii)
(A) Jongmyo Jerye  宗廟祭禮
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jongmyo_jerye
("is a rite held for worshipping [sic; this is British spelling] the late kings and queens of the Joseon Dynasty in Jongmyo Shrine, Seoul, South Korea. It is held every year on the first Sunday of May. The Jongmyo rite is usually accompanied with the court music playing (Jerye-ak) and dance called Ilmu or line Dance. Jongmyo Jerye and Jeryeak were designated as the first of South Korea's Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2001")
(B)
• Jongmyo Shrine. World Heritage Convention, UNESCO, 2001.
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/738/
• Royal Ancestral Ritual in the Jongmyo Shrine and Its Music. Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), UNESCO (video).
https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/roy ... and-its-music-00016
• The Spirit of a Nation, Jongmyo Jeryeak. Series: Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, UNESCO
https://www.unesco.org/archives/multimedia/document-7

Take notice that UNESCO did not cite Munmyo, its music or dance.


*2) Jongmyo Jereak. Google Arts * Culture, undated
https://artsandculture.google.com/story/xwVhrFAyrTjlKg
("The Unique Dance Props Used in Ilmu[:] In ilmu, the dancers perform in their rank and file, almost without change of position. The dance props used in the munmu and the mumu are distinct. In munmu, the dancers hold a yak (籥, a small bamboo flute) in the left hand and a jeok (翟, an implement made of pheasant feathers) in the right hand. In mumu, dancers in the first four lines hold a geom (劍, a wooden sword) and dancers in the last four lines hold a chang (槍, a wooden spear). The yak and the jeok symbolize virtues that Confucian scholars should have, while the geom and the chang signify military qualities")

Right before this paragraph is a photo of both yak amd jeok.