Developing Gymnastics for All (GfA) Movements for Elementary School Students: Focusing on Jinju Geommu

Abstract

This study aimed to develop Gymnastics for All (GfA) movements by utilizing dance movements from Jinju Geommu, a representative traditional Korean sword dance, to improve the sense of community among elementary school students. For this purpose, this study derived the key chum-sawi (dance movements) from Jinju Geommu,and emphasized on their meanings to develop GfA movements. As a result of the study, First, this study extracted specific Jinju Geommumovements, including yeop-sa-wi, wis-sa-wi, ssang-kal-sa-wi, sam-jin-sam-toe, yeonpungdae, bang-seog-dol-i, oe-kal-sa-wi, ssang-eo-li-sa-wi, andpyeong-sa-wi, and explained their aesthetic meaning. Second, this study developed GfA movements to enhance students’ sense of community based on the Jinju Geommu dance movements. For instance, the wi-eom-sa-wiand yeop-sa-wiwere used to show consideration for others, while the wis-sa-wi and ssang-kal-sa-wi unified the movements. GfA movements were designed to emphasize unity by encouraging individuals to give to others and communicate with friends. Given that GfA focuses on the easiest movements of the Jinju Geommu dance, these movements are expected to benefit the mental and physical development of elementary school students who are in their formative years. In addition, since there are many other attractive and athletic movements in Jinju Geommu, they could be used as a basis for developing further programs.

Key Words: Traditional Dance, Jinju Sword Dance, Elementary School Students, Daily Gymnastics, Community Spirit

□ Received: Aug. 2, 2024, Revised: Oct. 3, 2024, Accepted: Oct. 20, 2024 ＊ Professor, Gyeongsang National Univ., Email: mkeecc@hanmail.net