world cultures · Ages 6-8

The Masks Looked Fierce Until the Dancers Smiled

At a Korean mask dance, a child learns that exaggerated faces can help performers tell jokes, tease unfairness, and bring a crowd together.

The whole story

1. On a bright afternoon, Mina hurried into the village courtyard for a Korean mask dance.

2. She stopped at the mask table. The faces had huge brows, bulging cheeks, and mouths wide enough to swallow a dumpling.

3. One mask stared back with a crooked grin. Mina tucked her chin into her collar.

4. Then the drums began. A dancer in a fierce red mask stepped onto the platform and puffed out his chest.

5. He raised a tiny fan and tried to look important. The tiny fan trembled beneath that enormous face.

6. The red mask bowed to a dancer with a round pink-cheeked face. The second dancer held out an empty rice bowl.

7. The red mask promised a feast, but he offered only three grains. The crowd laughed at his grand little trick.

8. Mina's grandmother whispered, “They are teasing people who keep too much for themselves.” The masks made the unfairness look ridiculous.

9. At last, the red dancer lifted off his mask. Under the fierce face was a wide, friendly smile.

10. Mina understood. The masks looked fierce until the dancers smiled.

11. The dancers had used giant faces to tell jokes, tease unfairness, and pull everyone close. Mina went home smiling at every mask.

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