All About Traditional Korean Fan Dance Buchaecum!

Imagine: silken sleeves brush the air as vibrant fans unfurl, transforming dancers into blooming peonies and playful butterflies. The rhythm, a heartbeat of drums and flutes, guides their feet on an intricate tapestry of twirls and glides. This, my friends, is Buchaechum, Korean fan dance where the fan isn’t just a prop, but a symbol of good fortune.

Confession time: my first encounter with Buchaechum wasn’t on a grand stage, but in one of BTS Jimin performance during 2018 Melon Music Awards.

Korean Fan Dance Buchaecum

Credit to wikipedia

Korean fan dance in Korean is known as ‘Buchaechum’, which is a combination of the word ‘buchae‘, meaning fan and ‘chum‘, meaning dance.

It is a traditional Korean dance performed by groups of female dancers who use large fans to create a various pattern formations that represent flowers, butterflies, dragons, and waves.

The Korean Fan dancer wear brightly colored hanbok, the Korean traditional outfit.

Most of Korean girls learn this traditional dances since when they’re in schools, it serve as a part of Korean cultural education.

Korean Fan Dance History

Korean Fan Dance history start from Joseon eras where they did a certain ancient rituals serve as a spiritual dance.

However, in 1954, a dancer and choreographer Kim Baek-Bong created the modern Korean fan dance that combine and transformed the old traditional dances into a fan dance.

At first, she performed a solo dance performance of the new Korean fan dance buchaechum on the stage of Seoul City Hall.

Later on, it was modify into a group dance as they performed in Mexico Olympics in 1968.

The rest is history as more people start loving her dance and performance.

Buchaechum Dance Costumes

In this traditional dance, the Korean fan dancer wear a beautiful outfit known as dangui hanbok.

It’s a coat and skirt combo with long, flowing sleeves, adorned with a phoenix embroidery on the front and back.

In addition, they wear a headdress called jokduri, resembling a golden tiara traditionally worn for special occasion.

As they gracefully move, the dancers wield large fans, intricately painted with pink peony blossoms.

These fans symbolize a variety of natural wonders like flowers, butterflies, dragons, and waves.

The entire ensemble, from the outfit to the accessories, plays a crucial role in the performance, showcasing the restrained beauty, elegance, and dignified lines of women.

What’s fascinating is how these elements also represent the harmonious balance of yin and yang.

Through the costumes and movements, the dance unfolds like a story, illustrating the beauty of nature and wish for great fortune.

When Buchaecum Dance Perform?

Back then during Joseon eras,the Korean fan dance is performed during shamanic rituals as a rituals to worship gods, nature and spirits.

In our modern day and age, it’s only performed during important events like Lunar New Year and Korean cultural competition.

Conclusion

There you have it, all you need to know about Buchaecum!

if you love Korean culture, you might’ve seen many other famous traditional Korean dance as there are many, yet this one serve as one of the most unique dance you should add to your knowledge about Korean culture.

How do you think about this traditional Korean dance?

Have you ever seen it before?

Let me know in the comment sections below!

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