Korea: Korean dance originally came from shamanistic rituals. These were practises of their beliefs which could be from Buddhism or Taoism. This practise involves the mudang, who is usually a woman to act as an intercessor between the God/ Gods whom they believe in or a human being. These practises were used (and some are still used today) to help an ill person, give good fortune to someone or to bless their village. The Korean people believed that the Shaman (the practitioner of these rituals) was like a magician whose soul would be carried into the Korean mountains or sacred trees where spirits layed. His spirit would be re-newed and salvaged to give him a right mind to teach others. These rituals involved a dance that would represent the Shaman's soul been taken from his body etc. It was very much to do with the religion of the people and is still a popular dance today as it is self-expression.