By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Kim Chun-heung, last royal court dancer and traditional court musician, died of natural causes Saturday. He was 98.
His aide said that he died at his home in Bangbae-dong, southern Seoul.
Kim was an honorary holder of Important Intangible Cultural Properties No. 1, or ``jongmyojeryeak'' (royal ancestral Confucian memorial ceremony music) and Important Intangible Cultural Properties No. 39, or ``cheoyongamu'' (royal court mask dance).
He was born in 1909 and entered the training center of Yi Dynasty Royal Conservatory of Music in 1922 to master royal court music and dance.
He was selected as court dancer in 1923 to perform in the banquet to celebrate the 50th birthday of King Sunjong (1874-1926). Since then, he has been known as ``the last court dancer of the Joseon Kingdom.''
Kim was the oldest traditional artist both in court dance and music as he contributed to nurturing traditional court dancers and preserving traditional court music during his entire career.
He started his artistic career by playing ``haegeum,'' or Korean fiddle but later he excelled not only in court dance such as ``cheoyongmu,'' a shamanistic court mask dance but also traditional music performance such as playing ``yanggeum,'' a kind of zither.
He has been engaged in performing and teaching haegum, and in Korean traditional dance as well.
His haegum performance has a strong tenacious tone colored with a delicate expression mixed with a soft melodic texture.
He also performed ``chunaengjon,'' or a royal dance from the Joseon Kingdom, which was created by the crown prince Hyomyeong to celebrate his mother's 40th birthday (1828).
He is survived by three sons and two daughters.