Buchaechum: Fans of the Korean Fan Dance
Buchaechum (부채춤) is neoclassical Korean fan dance, meaning it draws influence from various traditional Korean dances, including religious rituals and Joseon court and folk dances. In 1954, dancer and choreographer Kim Baek-Bong combined and transformed these traditional dances to create buchaechum. Since then, the fan dance has evolved into an art form representative of beauty and elegance renowned around the world.
The Korean fan dance is usually performed by a group of female dancers. When performing, buchaechum dancers wear colorful and flowing hanbok and usually dance to minyo, or Korean folk music. They use wide handheld fans painted with pink blossoms and fringed by feathers to create various formations that depict images of nature, including birds, flowers, dragons, and waves. To achieve these images, the dancers open, close, vibrate, and sweep their fans, representing various aspects of nature. One of the staple movements of buchaechum is the flower: dancers gather in a circular formation and spread their fans next to each other, each fan a petal of a beautiful blossom.
The Korean American Youth Artists of Texas performing arts group is currently learning the fan dance and will premiere its first buchaechum performance in the spring of 2022.
Informational Sources:
Yoon, Miro. “The Met Lunar New Year Festival: Year of the Rooster.” Korean Cultural Center New York, Korean Cultural Center New York, 17 Jan. 2017, https://www.koreanculture.org/performing-arts/2017/1/17/the-met-lunar-new-year-festival-year-of-the-rooster.
