Cheoyongmu Court Dance

The legend behind Cheoyongmu is recorded in the Samguk Yusa: Cheoyong, said to be a son of the Dragon King of the East Sea, came home to find a plague spirit with his wife, and instead of striking, sang and danced - and the spirit, shamed, swore never to enter a house where Cheoyong's face was shown. Hanging his image on the door became a plague charm, and the dance became a court exorcism performed at year's end and at banquets. It is the only masked dance in the Korean court repertoire. Five dancers represent the five directions in white, blue, black, red and yellow, in long-sleeved robes and dark human masks, moving slowly in formation to court music. It survived through the palace music office and is now maintained by the National Gugak Center; UNESCO inscribed it in 2009. Ulsan, where the legend places Cheoyong's arrival, holds a festival in his name.

What you actually see

• The five masked dancers - one for each direction and its colour.
• The slow formations - court dance tempo, not folk energy.
• The dark masks - the only masked dance in the court repertoire.
• The court ensemble - live accompaniment throughout.

When to go

Within the National Gugak Center's season, autumn to spring - check the programme, since it appears as one item among others. The Ulsan festival is the other occasion.

Honest expectations

It is stately and slow, and to an audience expecting a mask dance in the folk sense it can seem static. Usually part of a longer court music programme. There is no site associated with it.

Nearby

The National Gugak Center is in Seocho, Seoul; Ulsan holds the Cheoyong festival.