How history literally lives on through Choi Chang-deok's mastery of dance

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How history literally lives on through Choi Chang-deok's mastery of dance

Published: 02 Jun. 2026, 07:00

SHIN HA-NEE
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Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Choi Chang-deok’s “seungcheonmu,” or “dance of ascension,” is a traditional dance that artistically sublimates funeral songs from the Jeolla region and movements once performed by shamans in “ssitgimgut,” a ritual for cleansing the spirit of the dead. [PARK SANG-MOON]

[ZOOM KOREA]

The arc formed by the long sleeves of a jangsam, a monk’s robe used in traditional Korean dances, cuts through the air in almost a devotional gesture. At the same time, the dancer clutches a white silk handkerchief and moves it as if it’s an extension of their own body. In traditional Korean dances, this tossing and gathering of the cloth often symbolizes holding something and letting it go, a cycle through which the inescapable sorrow in life constantly transforms.

Under Choi Chang-deok’s control, that grief never becomes overwhelming. Instead, through restrained breathing and movement, the veteran dancer brings the audience toward a calm that exists after sadness — and, at times, toward moments of ecstasy and climax.

In Choi Chang-deok’s “seungmu,” a monk’s dance, the powerful yet fluid curves created by the long sleeves of the “jangsam,” a monk’s robe used in traditional Korean dances, symbolize worldly anguish and the ascetic suffering of a monk. [CHOI CHANG-DEOK]

Choi, also known as Dancho, is a traditional Korean dancer who is officially certified to carry on the traditions of seungmu, a monk’s dance, and salpuri, a purification dance, both of which are designated by the government as National Intangible Cultural Heritages.

Even among the dancers keeping the country’s traditional arts alive, Choi stands apart for the way in which he has inherited the artistic spirit of his teacher, the master dancer Lee Mae-bang (1927-2015), while developing a distinctive style of his own by connecting that legacy with the “Cheonbugyeong,” an ancient Korean philosophical text.

His journey, like most others, began with his family and led him to some of the greatest masters of Korean dance and music, all of whom would teach him how to enter a philosophical realm in which the order of the universe is expressed through movement.

Choi Chang-deok, third from right, makes sweeping movements in his reinterpretation of “Sapung Jeonggam,” one of Lee Mae-bang’s signature dances for only men. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Born in Hongseong, South Chungcheong, as the youngest of seven children, Choi possessed a natural talent for dancing and singing. During his elementary school field days, he would sling a janggu, an hourglass-shaped traditional drum, over his shoulder and freely show off his skills, quickly becoming the center of attention.

But his specific affinity for traditional Korean music was rooted in his family background. His aunt was well known in the region for gayageum byeongchang — a performance style that combines singing with playing the gayageum, the plucked zither — meaning that such instruments were always present in the house.

The first decisive turning point in Choi’s life as a dancer came when he began studying under the late Han Young-suk (1920-1989), one of the most prominent figures of 20th-century traditional Korean dance. As a middle and high schooler, Choi spent almost every weekend traveling to take lessons from Han. He also learned how to perform Gyeonggi folk songs under An Bi-chwi (1926-1997) and pansori, or traditional Korean opera, under Park Cho-wol (1917-1983), both master singers of their era.

Choi Chang-deok, center, performs a “salpuri” dance with female dancers. The dance is considered one of the most artistically refined forms of Korean traditional dance. [PARK SANG-MOON]

At 19, Choi met the renowned Lee Mae-bang through Han’s introduction.

Lee, one of the most emblematic figures in traditional Korean dance, is often described as having been “a dancer sent from heaven” and an artist who reached a state of spiritual discipline through dance.

Choi’s rise to becoming one of the country’s leading dancers today is undoubtedly rooted in his relationship with both Han and Lee.

However, despite Choi’s passion for dance, his parents wanted him to pursue an academic path at university, and he complied with their wishes, entering Dankook University to study French language and literature. Still, he refused to abandon dance and won numerous awards at competitions across the country during his university years.

Choi Chang-deok, accomplished in music, song and dance, performs “Changbu Taryeong,” a Gyeonggi folk song, on stage. [PARK SANG-MOON]

After graduating, Choi worked for a year as a French teacher at Seosan Girls’ High School in South Chungcheong. Even there, he often found himself teaching his students how to dance during school events. His longing for the arts and his turmoil over whether he was truly meant to be a French teacher instead of a dance teacher weighed heavily on him.

Eventually, Choi knelt before his parents, pleading for their understanding, and declared that he would devote his life to dance. He moved to Seoul and entered Chung-Ang University’s graduate school as a dance major, beginning his full-fledged career as a dancer at the age of 26.

“Ipchum,” a dance that carries on the orthodox lineage of Honam arts, reflects the aesthetics and tradition of Lee Mae-bang-style traditional dance, marked by refinement, plaintive beauty and feminine grace. [PARK SANG-MOON]

Throughout his life, Lee emphasized that a true dancer had to be well-rounded by being accomplished in playing music and singing as well. He believed that only those who understood other aspects of the art — such as rhythm and melody — could become true performing artists.

Choi was one of Lee’s disciples who most faithfully embodied that teaching. And among his roughly 200 students, Lee is said to have especially cherished Choi for his exceptional command of the trifecta of music, song and dance.

It is no wonder, then, that Choi carries Lee’s artistic soul within him.

For Choi, the seungmu is a process of spiritual discipline. The powerful yet fluid curves created by the long sleeves of the jangsam symbolize both the worldly and ascetic suffering of a monk, as well as express both tangible beauty and inner emotion. During the drum sequence, the highlight of his seungmu, Choi reveals an outstanding sense of rhythm that reflects his upbringing surrounded by a family of traditional musicians. He does not simply strike the drum; he releases a force that seems to awaken and shake the worries of the world loose.

Choi Chang-deok, front, is regarded as one of the leading dancers preserving the essence of Korean traditional dance without distortion. [PARK SANG-MOON]

His salpuri is built on the principle of binding and releasing. The distinction between daesam and sosam — literally “large sleeves” and “small sleeves,” respectively, a key technique in Lee’s dance that refers to the scale of a dancer’s movement — is clear. Each gesture connects naturally without strain, with energy carefully flowing from the tips of his fingers to the ends of his toes. As a result, Choi’s salpuri, marked by a noble elegance, clarity and the fluid beauty of stillness between movements, is regarded as one of the finest forms of traditional Korean dance.

His seungcheonmu, or “dance of ascension,” artistically sublimates the traditional funeral songs of the Jeolla region and the movements performed by shamans in ssitgimgut, a ritual for cleansing the spirit of the dead. In the dance, Choi sets afloat a neokdangseok — an object believed to carry the soul of the deceased to the afterlife — and connects this world and the next, consoling the living and praying for the peaceful rebirth of the dead in paradise.

Encompassing the deep rhythm and music characteristic of the Jeolla region’s traditional dances, the seungcheonmu interrogates the meaning of life, death and the effects of releasing unresolved sorrow. Ultimately, it vividly reflects the emotional world of Korean shamanism.

Perhaps the most distinctive aspect of Choi’s dance lies in the way in which he interprets and performs his art through the principles of the “Cheonbugyeong.” The central idea of the text — the unity of heaven, earth and humanity — is embodied in Choi’s style, as the dancer’s head turns toward heaven, their feet still firmly on the ground, to transform their body into a channel of communication between the physical and the beyond.

Likewise, his gulsin movements, the bending and straightening of the knees and ankles, symbolize harmony, drawing energy from the earth and sending it upward toward heaven.

Following Lee’s teaching that “life is dance, and dance is life,” Choi embodies the arts every hour of the day. He sings with his soul and plays instruments with sounds that move the heart. His dance becomes poetry written with the body, resonating deeply with those who watch him.

In a life devoted so wholly to movement, Choi has become not merely a performer of tradition but a true dancer of his time.

This article was written in Korean by Korea JoongAng Daily senior photographer Park Sang-moon and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY PARK SANG-MOON [[email protected]]