All-Male Vagabond Performance |
 Namsadangnori (남사당놀이) generally refers to performances staged by Namsadangpae
(남사당패), a vagabond troupe of 40 or more male performers. After the
Joseon Dynasty, Namsadangpae troupes performed nationwide and were
especially popular until the 1920s. Playing vital roles in the
production were the kkokdusoe (leader), hwaju (performance planner), tteunsoe (music/dance planner), gayeol (performers), ppiri (trainees) and porters. Namsadangnori was a tradition rooted in the experience of the common people, and performances were staged especially for them. Musicians and dancers could relieve the grief of the poor and disenfranchised, while criticizing the immorality of the yangban (noble class) through their sarcastic humor. Namsadangnori were thus staged in rural areas or outside of town, where the gentry would not see them. Weather permitting, performances were held outdoors from spring until late autumn. |
| How It’s Performed |
 |
The Namsadangnori repertoire consisted of various types of music and dance; pungmul, beona, salpan, eoreum, deotboegi, and deolmi. Pungmul,
a type of farm music (nongak) performed in rural communities, is played
on traditional Korean wind and percussion instruments accompanied by
dance and acrobatic performances. It functions as a call for the
audience to gather for the performance. Recently Samulnori has
become
quite well known, and it should be noted that Samulnori
is a kind of pungmul that was adapted to be performed on stage. Beona is similar to the Chinese traditional dance in which a large plate is spun on the end of a stick. Salpan is similar to modern-day gymnastics, in which performers do various tumbling stunts.  Tightrope walking, or eoreum, comes from the Korean word for ice, which is an indication of how difficult the practice is. Deotboegi is a type of mask dance. Finally, deolmi is a puppet performance. Several types of deolmi were popular at the time: kkokdugaksi noreum, bakcheomji noreum, and hongdongji noreum.
Of those, kkokdugaksi noreum is still performed today. Namsadangnori is
the last vestige of Korea’s traditional puppet tradition, and thus
holds great historical significance. These performances are said to have
started around nine
in the evening and lasted for hours, running until the
early
morning hours.
This precious traditional dance was designated as an Important Intangible Cultural Property of Korea in 1964, and went on to become a UNESCO Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2009. ● Where to find Namsadangnori performance ☞ Anseong Namsadang Regular Saturday Performances ☞ Official site: www.namsadang.or.kr (Korean only) |
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