Day three of Blogging from A to Z and going strong!

C is for Circle Dance.

What’s that? you ask.

The Circle Dance, or Ganggang sullae, is a 5,000 year old Korean harvest dance that women perform under the moonlight. They would dance under the brightest moon of the year in hopes of securing a good harvest.

(image: public domain via wikicommons)

This photo of a Circle Dance was taken in Jindo in 1890. I was so excited to find this picture because I’m pretty sure I stood in front of this same building when I visited this island. Talk about re-visiting history!

I learned about the background of this dance when researching Korean history for my first (unpublished) novel The Circle Line. Later, I used this dance in my published time-slip novel Moonlight Dancer. I think you can probably figure out where the name of that novel comes from.

Aside from its importance as a cultural treasure, Ganggang sullae played an important role in the 16th century. Japanese Emperor Hideyoshi wanted to conquer China and asked Korea to join his effort. However, Korea was closely aligned with China and refused, so Emperor Hideyoshi declared war on Korea.

The ensuing war pitted trained, merciless Japanese samurai against scrappy, inventive Korean peasants. My favorite battle story (and one I included in Moonlight Dancer) involves a sea invasion in which Japanese invaders scaled a cliff wall to stage an attack. The Korean militia was vastly outnumbered, so following the direction of Admiral Yi Sun-shin, women donned soldiers’ uniforms. Under the moonlight at the edge of the cliff these brave women brandished torches and performed the traditional circle dance. This display so frightened the Japanese that they rappelled back down the cliff wall, jumped in their boat, and sailed away.

As my dad used to say, “Never underestimate the power of a woman!”

I never do.

If you are interested in the Circle Dance, you can watch a video here: