Korean Talchum

• Folk mask dance drama almost lost during japanese occupation
• When watched, think about it as something that was fought for
• Early 1960s historians, practitioners who have been able to find 15 to 20 different kinds of talcum. Different districts, different characteristics

Ideas

• Spiritual base of respect for nature and respect for freedom of expression
• Shamanism
• Feelings of 한 (deep inner sentiment that is manifested as a profound grief or sadness)
• 심영불이 - release of han (artistic ecstasy or exhilaration that occurs at final dramatic moment when tears turn to laughter, darkness to light.)  (Farmers dance -  Think of the dramatic music, place of Han to Sinmyeong) (juxtaposes catharsis)
• Self-expression, Strongly interpretational (own feelings)
• The Madang 마당 - area of performance (they would perform in yards, village), theatre of the round
• More westernised stages - thrust
• Audience participation - usually an hour (shorter version), full version goes on for hours, audience is very important, characters speak to the audience, interact with audience, call and response (wanted to represent what was going on in peoples' lives)
• Communal, relationship between viewers and performance, can become a place of debate, instead of fantasy world it is a realistic, grounded world
• Freedom of time and space
• Satirical - excellent device for satire
• Ceremony of the mask - Most places, masks are burned after use (except Andong since they use wood) masks are made out of all kinds of materials
• Mask colours and distortions (winkles, small pox/illness (not a sign of goodness)). Everything on the mask had was a symbol of the character
• Size of the mask affected the motion of the dances (smaller have gestures that are closer to the body, more everyday lifelike)
• Mask as a character in story (jaw in order to speak and fit properly) - articulated jaw
• Bride (andong talchum) - First three years of brides life was lives in inlaws house (left eye up, right eye down (turning a blind eye and focusing on what you need to know), closed mouth)
• Grandma - one eye is tearing, mouth wide open, she can say whatever she wants, between eyes, worry
• Barmaid - say no up to a point, no political say, needs to speak a little to make a living
• White speckles - means older, more meed leprosy (abnormal), wrinkles (lines), 
• Depraved monk - excessive wrinkles, sexual promiscuity (exaggerated nose), alcohol, made fun of by audience
• Fur - depraved, abnormal, more animal than human
• Gourd - busan