The purpose of this study is to discuss what creation in dance means, on the basis of philosophy of art by S. K. Langer as a conceptual framework. In discussion, characteristics of creation were pointed out by comparing them with those of production. Secondly, originality in dance was argued from differences of primary illusions among dance and other forms of art, such as music and fine arts, stated by Langer. Finally characteristics of a choreographer and dancer as a creator in the process of dance creation were duicussed.
From the results of the discussion, the followings were proposed:
1. The difference between a manufactured product and art production is made by whether the outcome is an actual artifact or a virtual one.
2. Though both a manufactured product and creative production need actual materials, what makes the latter virtual comes from the stuff of the material, namely primary illusion.
3. The originality of creating dance is characterized by saying that the primary illusion is a virtual power.
4. In the creative process of dance works, a choreographer is posited as a creator, and the existence of a dancer who is a material himself/herself, produces the stuff, and subjectively actualizes the dance work. Even if a choreographer is considerd the creator through the process of interpretation, the dancer should also be considered as a co-creator.