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Abstract
Two aspects of a unified concept made up of labor-play-gut, the latter being shaman ceremony performance, form the fundamental basis of Korean traditional dance. One is formalism or characteristic structures, and the other is Korean consciousness, or the aesthetic world. The aesthetic consciousness reflected in Korean traditional dance relates to naturalism that sheds light on the concept of being danced, rather than to dance; the beauty of curved lines, as shown in taegeuk (the Great Ultimate); moments in stillness that are permeated by the energy of the universe; no'gyeong that makes possible the progression from nothingness to being; pathos, inner cry, and outer laughter, which are revealed in the process of salpuri (exorcism); humor and reconciliation; naiveté, rough and simple; a light in the shadow; the vigor and spirit of revolution; and cosmic reconciliation.[1].