Lee Myung-ja, Honorary Holder of Taepyeongmu, Passes Away Due to Old Age

An Artist Who Contributed to the Development of Traditional Dance

Lee Myung-ja, Honorary Holder of the National Intangible Heritage Taepyeongmu, passed away on the 3rd due to old age. She was 82 years old.

Lee, the honorary holder, was an artist who devoted her entire life to the preservation and transmission of Taepyeongmu. Born in 1942, she learned the dazzling footwork and restrained techniques from the late Kang Sun-young, a holder, in 1964.

Taepyeongmu is a dance that contains wishes for the peace of the country and a prosperous era. It was reconstructed based on dances and music originating from shamanistic practices in the Gyeonggi region by artists such as the late Han Seong-jun.

Lee was selected as a master student in 1990 and as a transmission education assistant (currently transmission educator) in 1994. In 2019, she was recognized as a holder for her passion and transmission activities related to Taepyeongmu. However, due to health reasons, she found it difficult to conduct normal transmission education and activities, and thus became an honorary holder in May of this year.

She promoted Taepyeongmu by lecturing at several universities including Myongji University and the Korea National University of Arts’ School of Traditional Arts. She also contributed to the development of traditional dance by serving as a director of the Korean Dance Association and the Korean Play Culture Association.