Jinju Geommu (Sword Dance of Jinju)

Jinju Geommu is a women's sword dance handed down in the Jinju region, also called geomgimu or kalchum (sword dance), and it was one of the dances performed at banquets held inside the royal palace. Its origin is not known for certain, but there are two theories: one that it began when the people of Silla danced to mourn a boy who had died for his country, and another that it originated when the gisaeng (professional female entertainers) of Jinju performed the sword dance to console the spirit of Nongae. Jinju Geommu is danced to the dodeuri jangdan (rhythmic pattern) and to slow and fast taryeong rhythms, by eight dancers dressed in Joseon-period warrior costume, who stand facing each other in two rows, each holding a strip of multicoloured cloth in both hands while wielding swords. The dance movements are varied and distinctive, including sugeun-sawi, in which the dancer wears hansam (long sleeve extensions) and bends the knees while turning; anjeun-sawi, performed seated; yeonpungdae-garak, in which the dancer bends forward at the waist and then arches back while spinning; and sonsawi, in which the bare arms are extended. The accompanying instruments include the piri (bamboo oboe), jeo (transverse flute), haegeum (two-stringed fiddle), janggu and buk, among others.

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Where it is

Region

Jinju, Gyeongnam

Designation

National Intangible Heritage · 국가무형유산