This study aims to investigate various meanings related to dancers, who are the main subject of 「Dongrae Crane Dance」, by accepting Chuang-tzu’s concept of ‘Virtue(德)’ with the aesthetic discussion about 「Dongrae Crane Dance」. Korean traditional dances value moral culture. Therefore, if a dance is not concretely exposed in form, but expresses inner spirit or mind, either of them is regarded as a spiritual beauty, further being recognized as beauty of art. Accordingly, how the spiritual beauty appearing in dance is explained in written words can be one of the most fundamental themes to deal with in aesthetic discussions about Korean traditional dances. Thus, out of all the folk dances, which are a branch of Korean traditional dances, this study selected 「Dongrae Crane Dance」that has been researched and handed down without any of its distinctive characteristics damaged so far. Particularly, this study divided dancers’ dancing movements and spiritual planes, expressed through the body and sensitivity, into ‘nature-oriented characters’, ‘individual uniqueness expression’ and ‘probability of open communication’ and concretely analyzed them through Chuang-tzu’s concept of ‘Virtue’.
As for the research composition, by investigating the organic correlation between the status of Chuang-tzu’s philosophy and his concepts of ‘Virtue’, ‘Way’,‘Spirit’ and ‘Belief’ in the discussion about art most of all, this study looked into the unique characteristics of ‘Virtue’. Besides, by exploring how Chuang-tzu’s concept of ‘Virtue’ and 「Dongrae Crane Dance」are mutually connected to each other, this study verified how they are introduced as main concepts composing a substantial basis in the discussion about 「Dongrae Crane Dance」. In this way, this study attempted to conduct a pre-consideration into 「Dongrae Crane Dance」and Chuang-tzu’s idea and understand his concept of ‘Virtue’, and unlike previous Korean folk dance researches mainly conducted on the concept of ‘Way’ in regard to dancers’ spiritual planes, this study can be differentiated, in that it analyzed the concept of ‘Virtue’ concretely and precisely from a discussable point of view, which was not considered as a main aesthetic domain.
As for the research process of application and analysis, in order to concretely investigate characteristics suggested to analyze 「Dongrae Crane Dance」, ‘natureoriented characters’, ‘individual uniqueness expression’ and ‘probability of open communication’, this study divided dance movements, costumes, accompaniment music and stage space by characteristics, not in a consecutive way, and applied them fit for the flow of dance. As a result, it was found that inherent in dancers’spiritual planes where they try to get united with Great Way of nature by adapting themselves to nature and modeling themselves on its harmony, ‘Virtue’ is expressed through dance, further expressing a variety of crane forms. Moreover, through ‘Virtue’ from a Chuang-tzu’s point of view, inherent in all things in the universe,this study comprehended it is possible to make open communications among dancers, audience and musicians, breaking away from the existing antagonistic relation of right and wrong or discrimination.
This study proposed a new possibility of aesthetic discussion about Korean folk dances by accepting Chuang-tzu’s concept of ‘Virtue’ and illustrating the discussion about Korean folk dances through an actual dance work. Besides, this study can be meaningful, in that is has suggested a new view on dancers of 「Dongrae Crane Dance」. Not many researches have not been actively conducted on Korean traditional dances through Chuang-tzu’s philosophy so far, but it is expected that the results of this study will be used to suggest a new point of view regarding the aesthetic research on Korean folk dances, by making meaningful implications to further studies.