ABSTRACT
Nori 놀이 is a native Korean terminology that can refer to a wide array of activities. Nori, in the literal sense, means “play” in English. It is the noun form of the verb nol-da놀다, which means “to play,” and the stem word “nol”—which phonetically changes to “nor-” when in front of a vowel—can be affixed to other words and syllables to generate related terms. For example, norae 노래 means “song,” and norigae 노리개 refers to a type of traditional sartorial accessory. In Korean performance cultures, nori is often synonymous with theatre or performance, and it can also connote improvisation, game, competition and ritual. Nori is also used as the common suffix for different genres of theatre and performance: examples include madang nori 마당놀이 (improvisational play; see Chon 2014; see the article on →madang/pan 마당/판, open yard or space); talnori 탈놀이 (lit. mask play), usually used for mask dance theatre, a genre also referred to as talchum 탈춤 “mask dance” or gamyeon-geuk 가면극 “mask theatre”; and gut-nori 굿놀이 (shamanistic ritual play). In a broad sense, nori can be defined as any leisurely activity done by a group of people, and it is distinguished from activities that are perceived as work. At the same time, many traditional Korean activities integrate work and play, and nori can denote a sense of both enjoyment and purpose.
