The Dance of the “Handicapped”

Written by Hannah Dang with support from the DAC Team

The post covers an insight into the origins and the revival of a Korean traditional folk dance called the “Byeongsin chum” (literally the dance of the handicapped). 

Between the 1990s and early 2000s, South Korea sustained an exponential growth in popularity on an international scale due to a cultural phenomenon known as “The Korean Wave,” or the “Hallyu.” This episode triggered a surge in profits for South Korea’s economy, Korean cuisine, the film industry and other media, and music, to name a few (Roll). Yes, South Korea is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but we often fail to remember that South Korea’s cultural expansion culminated over the course of thousands and thousands of years. One fraught part of South Korea’s cultural history is the origins of traditional dance and the role it plays in the modern world. 

Traditional dances in Korea were developed during shamanistic rituals, and later on, the dances became a means of entertainment for the royal family and court officials, evolving to different kinds of folk dances, including the Talchum (mask dance) and the Buchaechum (fan dance) (뉴스H). At first, the dances were used as a medium to express emotions to the “flow of Pansori (Korean genre of musical storytelling usually performed by a singer and a drummer),” but soon enough, the dances became the instruments used to spread people’s political and economical ideologies as perceived by the fabrication of the Byeongsin chum. 

Believed to have originated in Miryang, a city located in South Korea, the “Byeongsin chum (literally. the dance of the handicapped)” is a traditional East Asian folk dance said to be performed by farmers and other people in the lower class as a form of satire to poke fun at Korean nobility (“yangban”). Dressed in long, white and black robes with headgear, the dance consists of performers impersonating the mannerisms and body movements of “disabled and sick persons such as paraplegics, midgets, hunchbacks, the deaf, the blind, lepers, as well as characters from Pansori and other Korean folklore” to the beating of a drum (Tomar). According to historians, in Korean, “byeongsin” translates to “fool” or “idiot,” and back then, the terminology of “handicapped,” applied not only to people with disabilities, but to “any individual who did poorly in society, and it gave the audience innocuous laughter,” not only people with disabilities (뉴스H). 

Although the meaning of “handicapped” was not unassociated with the disabled community in ancient times, people are very sensitive to the stigmatization of disabilities and discrimination. It is important to keep cultural traditions alive (i.e., reviving the dance form) by sharing it with others, but we have to be cautious aware of not misconstruing the original meaning of the art form to prevent the disability community and other minority groups from being portrayed negatively. Providing the necessary context to the content goes for all mediums of art. 

In 2001, a South Korean theatrical group reenacted a play called “Byeongsin Chum” in Daehangno, a street in Seoul, South Korea, and the dance was included in the script. Due to the revival of the dance form, controversy spiked and there was outrage due to people interpreting the dance form as to be proliferating ableism. In response, Professor Chase Hui-Hwan, a professor at Busan National University, stated, “This dance has not been created to make fun of the Korean nobility but more as an expression that represents the liberation of men” (Tomar). In rebuttal, the Research Institute of the Differently Abled Person’s Right in Korea (RIDRIK) rehashed the issue at hand – purveying the freedom of artistic expression is important, but by parodying marginalized groups, any “traditional Korean practices [that] degrade the disabled” should be expunged. 

Yoon Han-sol, a play director notable for his reinterpretations of traditional arm forms, received criticism about his play about the “Byeongsin chum,” but Yoon stated in an interview: “the dance was simply a way of storytelling in the past when there was less sensitivity on the terminology” (뉴스H). Yoon Han-sol only intended to teach others about the “genealogy” of traditional dances in his culture and show that by resuscitating the art form in a new creative outlet, it demonstrated our roles in passing down our culture to our children. TheseIt is through new creative outlets include, for example, the incorporation of a Kinect sensor in his play to copy and learn traditional dances. Yoon wished to promulgate accessibility, which according to him, “is one of the most important conditions in passing on a culture.” 

Inspired by the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers and the Sewol Ferry tragedy, Yoon Han-sol communicated his reasoning for becoming a director and madebrought up an interesting point: 

“When people watch devastating stories of another person . . .  they empathize and maybe even shed tears. But the problem is the human theater effect. When the show is over, people think they are fully empathizing with society’s issues and are not turning a blind eye on them. It helps them to justify themselves for not acting on the issue. That’s why I think as a director, we shouldn’t just create content that brings light upon these issues, but it should be so that the audience is thrown with good questions that they can take back home and really think about it.” 

While there will be people who explicitly disagree with Yoon’s thoughts and decision to create a play about a controversial part of Korean history, we should be doing more than the bare minimum in our social circles and media channels when it comes to addressing social issues.

Artistic expression, the artist’s intent, and interpretation, and the audience’s reception, often intersect;, but on multiple occasions, they both will conflict with each other. However, if a piece invites discussion, we should be making the effort to understand both sides of the story and reach a mutual consensus. Art should be enjoyed, and art should inspire others to determine their role in the grand scheme of things.

WORKS CITED

“Byungsin Chum: The Dance of the Handicapped.” 뉴스H, 26 Nov. 2018, http://www.newshyu.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=424143. Accessed 07 Mar. 2024. 

Roll, Martin. “Korean Wave (Hallyu) – Rise of Korea’s Cultural Economy & Pop Culture.” Martin Roll: Business and Brand Leadership, 21 Oct. 2021, martinroll.com/resources/articles/asia/korean-wave-hallyu-the-rise-of-koreas-cultural-economy-pop-culture/. Accessed 07 Mar. 2024. 

Tomar, Kunal. “Byeongsin Chum Dance.” DanceAsk, 13 May 2023, danceask.net/byeongsin-chum-dance-korea/. Accessed 07 Mar. 2024.