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It is a traditional dance reflecting the specific feature of the east coast. Many people formed a circle and danced, singing the folk song Tondollari on holidays or gatherings in bygone days.
It is said that the word Tondollari is a modification of the word "A bright day is to come".
The dance derived from the custom of women who cheerfully danced, singing the song of same title reflecting their aspiration after a new bright day when digging up wild garlic early in spring.
The song is full of the feelings of the Korean people who are proud of and love their native land.
The dance is danced to the gay twelve-eights time tune of beating calabash-ladle overturned in the water in a large scooped wooden bowl or a large brass bowl with sticks or bare hands.
The calabash-ladle beating was the main form of tune at first. Later the tune was added with quick rhythms and tum-tum rhythms. When it grew in size and was widely disseminated, it was danced to the tune of such national musical instruments as drum, tungso (Korean bamboo flute) and phiri (Korean flute).
Today the dance Tondollari is being created as varied theatrical art dance pieces which are conspicuous in local feature and suitable to a modern aesthetic sense.
