Origin of folk dances. Russian folk dance: origin, regional features. Need help studying a topic?

Dance is a special type of folk art.

It is impossible to count how many different dances existed in Rus' and even still exist in modern Russia. They have a wide variety of names: sometimes after the song they dance to, sometimes after the nature of the festival or event, or the place where they were performed. But in all these very different dances there is something in common, characteristic of the Russian people, this is the breadth of movement, prowess and strength, gaiety and mischief, special cheerfulness, softness, lyricism and poetry, a combination of modesty and simplicity with a great sense of nobility and dignity.
Russian folk dance has its own centuries-old history. In the 5th-7th centuries, folk dances were performed in the bosom of Nature in the festivities of “folk games”. Their character was influenced by the ancient Vedic ideas of the world.

For example, in one old legend about the Moravian kingdom, the guslar narrator mentions rafts on the lakes, where young people gathered and “did round dances and played in circles.” It is difficult to imagine what kind of dances were performed by the ancient Russians on these unstable rafts.
For the ancient Aryans, fundamentally associated with the Vedic ideas of the universe, dance is an expression of meditation, unity with nature, its continuation, expression of high feelings of love and the eternal desire for beauty.
In ancient Russian ritual dances, as far as one can judge, forms of thinking characteristic of the Vedic representation of the world were manifested. The spiritualization of nature by analogy with living beings, the idea that behind every object of nature there is a certain spirit hidden and that every object is alive. Belief in the power of words, rhythm, plastic action, body movement, with the help of which you can influence the power of nature and cause certain results. Harmonization of all natural forces, understanding of the unity and common penetration of all things in the entire universe.

Very little has reached our time; these are already quite late calendar and everyday rituals, which at one time naturally influenced the entire creativity of the Russian people.
The purpose of the calendar rituals was a magical effect on the surrounding world, the earth, and the forces of nature, caused by the desire to protect oneself from natural disasters.
Family rituals are associated with events in the life of an individual - birth, entry into maturity, creation of a family, death.
It is difficult to judge what kind of energetic forces the Drevlyan-Russians possessed, how they thought, what they felt. One thing is clear, that they were not subject to that basic disease of humanity: money and power, power and money. One can only judge one or the other, but by analyzing those basic postulates and ideas of how the world of the Drevlyans was structured, one can realize that today’s world of folk dance is significantly distorted, changed and moved away from its ancient origins, but some (basic origins) nevertheless, they brought a certain charge to Russian culture, which significantly distinguishes it from many cultures of the world.

Great Russian folk choreography

Folk choreography has always been closely connected with the life and development of society, with its economic and social structure, with faith, with the aesthetic requirements of the time.
Each era is reflected in the dance culture of the people as if in a mirror. Folklore fills the soul of every person with pride for his people, fosters respect, love and a sense of patriotism.
The variety of Russian folk dance art is great. Round dances, re-dances, games and other folk dances amaze with their diversity and richness of movements. In dance, people reveal their character, convey thoughts, moods, and experiences.
How beautiful and majestic are the northern round dances, how swift and fiery are the dances of the Don and Kuban Cossacks! And the sparkling, perky Ural quadrilles? How much more does Russian dance contain?
In pre-Christian Rus', colorful folk games were widespread, which were timed to coincide with the Vedic calendar holidays, for example: Yarilin's day - the holiday of the Sun, Tausen - New Year, Obzhinki (Ovsen) - harvesting, Kolyada - a winter holiday and various others.
Many of the character traits common to the Russian people - love of freedom, indomitability of will, peacefulness, passionate attraction to the arts, desire for beauty, hospitality, openness and cheerfulness - were especially noticeable in games, dances and round dances.
The majority of Russian writers, poets, musicians, scientific researchers, and simply cultured and educated people treated Russian dance, as well as all the creativity of the Russian people, with sincere respect and enthusiasm. They strived not only for a deeper knowledge of folk art, but also to appreciate it. They opposed leaf stylization, against the official “nationality”, against the forced introduction of foreign customs. They also carefully studied, propagated and, being flesh and blood raised on the national Russian cultural soil, talentedly improved and developed Russian art.
Derzhavin and Zhukovsky, Pushkin and Lermontov, Gogol and Nekrasov, Turgenev and Tolstoy, Chekhov and Dostoevsky, Tchaikovsky and Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov and Rachmaninov, Gorky and Tvardovsky and... (it is impossible to list them all), they all left many enthusiastic lines dedicated to the folk creativity and, in particular, Russian dance, as an exponent of the most intimate, heartfelt and spiritual.
“...The grandmother did not dance, but seemed to be telling something. Here she walks quietly, thoughtful, swaying, looking around from under her hand, and her whole large body sways hesitantly, her legs carefully feel the road. She stopped, suddenly frightened of something, her face trembled, frowned and immediately shone with a kind, welcoming smile. She rolled to the side, giving way to someone, moving someone away with her hand; lowering her head, she froze, listening, smiling more and more cheerfully - and suddenly she was torn from her place, spun like a whirlwind, she became slimmer, taller, and it was impossible to take your eyes off her...”

The Russian people, who over the course of their centuries-old tragically beautiful history have created magnificent epics, wise fairy tales, wonderful weaves of lace, extraordinary clay products, stunningly interesting and varied wood and bone carvings, colorful paintings on wood, lovely lacquer miniatures, amazingly beautiful and originality of jewelry, as well as many rich in content and rhythmically bright lyrical, heroic, wedding, game, dance songs, he also created bright folk choreography, amazing in beauty and openness of feelings.
The German Staehlin (1707-1785) was a famous researcher in many areas of Russian culture, and in music he is rightfully considered the first musicologist researcher. His works are the main material on the art of the 18th century in Russia and here is his phrase: “In all the dance art of Europe, you cannot find a dance that could surpass the Russian village dance, and no other national dance in the world can compare in attractiveness with this dance!”

Dance and round dances

Whether our ancestors lived at home, whether they worked in the fields or in settlements (cities), they always spent their free time playing games, dancing, and round dances; Whether they were at the “massacre”, they always sang of their homeland in their epics. Our former guslars, the inspirers of Russian folk poetry, are still visible in singers, round dances and dances. There are people who point out to us a past action, but there is no true indication of when our dances and round dances began. History lies in legends, and all our folk legends speak of the past as of the present, without indicating days and years. They say what our great-grandfathers and great-great-grandfathers did, but without mentioning either the place of action or the persons themselves.

Dancers
Dance improvisations

Improvisation dances were very popular among the people. In them, the dancers were not constrained by a specific dance choreographic composition. Each performer was given the opportunity to express himself and show what he is capable of. Such dances were always unexpected for the audience, and sometimes even for the performers themselves.

Among such dances that have survived to our time and become famous, but in many ways already commercialized, were the following: “Barynya”, “Veselukha”, “Topotukha”, “Pleskach”, “Monograms”, “Cossack Dance”, “Gorodets Gate”, “Balalaikas”, “Chebotukha”, “Siberian fun”, “Glade”, “Crane”, “Gusachok”, “Timonya”, “Felt boots”, “Chatterers”, “Is it in the garden”, “Circle dance”, “ Matryoshka”, “Northern tricks” and others.
“Ivan danced amazingly - especially “The Fish.” A chorus of dances will burst out, the guy will come out to the middle of the circle - and well, he will spin, jump, stomp his feet, and then the ground will crack - and he will imagine the movements of a fish that was thrown out of the water onto dry land: he bends this way and that, even brings his heels to the back of his head ..."

Dance games

These folk dances can be called play dances or game dances, since the playful principle is very clearly expressed in them. In his movements, the dancer did not simply imitate the habits of animals or birds, but tried to give them human character traits.
Without an image there is no dance. If a choreographic image does not arise, then only a set of movements remains, at best an illustration of the event. Russian folk dance typically has a meaningful attitude towards life events. Of course, dancers use elements that imitate, for example, gait, flight, and animal habits. But this is not just an image of, say, a bird, but a dance game, where its condition is “re-dancing”, in which dexterity, invention and skill in the image triumph.
It is very important that all components are subordinated to the creation of the dance image: movements and drawings, that is, choreographic figurative plasticity, music, costume, color. At the same time, the expressive means of dance do not exist on their own, but as a figurative expression of thought.

Dance of the Russian Bogatyrs (Dances of Russian martial art)

Old Russian combat systems (each of the systems, as far as one can judge today) had its own specialized combat dance. We do not know the ancient reliable names of these martial dances; they have changed and transformed over the years. However, all of these dances had movements with the same definition - "squatting". The squat plus the sum of the martial movements used in the dance were the basis of the martial dance. For those “born for good” (Russian warriors), the battle dance was like a place where light was concentrated, to “protect good from evil.”
The squat dance was widespread throughout Rus'. In the early Middle Ages, the total number of Russians did not exceed a million, the language was uniform, and communication within the military class was friendly. But the Slavic clan grew, its numbers increased, features appeared in language and culture, variability appeared in methods of fighting, and the previously uniform martial dances changed.

Initially, the squatting technique existed in two forms:

1. As a method of combat.
2. Like a war dance.

Crouching fighting methods were widespread among horsemen and were used by infantrymen in clashes with cavalry.

The squat fight included four main levels:

1. Somersaults;
2. Sliders (movements on squatting and all fours);
3. Strikes and movements while standing;
4. Jumps and cartwheels.

Somersaults were used mainly as tactical movements and as methods of self-insurance when falling.

Sliders are a special type of movement on the lower level from which you can strike and perform jumps. Attacks with weapons were intensified by strikes and sweeps performed by legs. Hands placed on the ground provided additional support; you could hold a weapon in them and pick it up from the ground.

Standing blows were delivered mainly with legs, since the hands were occupied with bladed weapons or firearms. That is why in the squat dance more attention is paid to footwork.

Squatting movements, changing combat levels, going down and jumping complement the “standing up” technique. When jumping, they mainly kicked and used melee weapons. They attacked the rider, jumped on the horse and jumped to the ground. Once on horseback, they knew how to run along the backs of horses, delivering saber strikes, shot from behind the horse and from under its belly, they knew how to horse-riding (vault) and perform flanking (rotating a weapon while attacking and protecting the flanks).

In foot battles, squatting combat was relevant for a warrior who had fallen to the ground, found himself alone against many opponents, in cramped conditions or in the dark. This style of fighting required good physical training and was very energy-intensive, so it was used as a tactical element of combat, alternating with economical techniques.

The men developed the necessary motor skills specific to this style of fighting, especially endurance and fitness, by constantly practicing in dancing and fighting competitions.

In preparation for a battle dance, men often went into the forests from home, sometimes for several days, and trained, inventing new combinations of dance “knocks” unknown to their opponents.
The purpose of the movements in the combat dance was both directly applied and conditionally combative, developing for dexterity and coordination. Since martial dance was an information carrier of martial art and a way of training applied movements, it became most widespread among warriors: Cossacks, soldiers, sailors, officers and was very popular.
They went into battle with music and dancing. This custom of our ancestors was so well remembered by the Poles that they filmed it in the film “With Fire and Sword” based on the book by Sienkiewicz. And for some reason we forgot about this!
During the Civil War, the war dance continued to live among the troops, both Red and White. The Red Army soldiers remember well the attacks of the regiments of the Izhevsk and Vodkin factories, who fought under the red flag, but against the Bolsheviks. They went into battle to the sound of an accordion, with rifles slung over their shoulders, and the soldiers danced in front of the formation. It’s hard to believe, but the Bolsheviks could not withstand such psychological dance attacks and retreated.

Round dances

The importance of Russian round dances for our people is so great that we, for example, except, perhaps, Russian folk weddings, do not know anything like it. Round dances occupy three annual periods in the life of the Russian people: spring, summer and autumn. In round dances we discover the creative power of folk poetry, the originality of centuries-old creatures. And only with this look, our Russian culture has nothing like it in the world. Take away from the Russian people lyricism, romanticism, the desire for beauty - poetry, destroy their cheerful open spirit, deprive them of bright, enthusiastic games, and our people will be left without creativity - without life. This is what distinguishes Russian life from all other Slavic generations, and from the rest of the world as a whole.
The original meaning of the Russian round dance seems to be lost forever. We do not have any sources indicating directly the time of his appearance on Russian soil, and therefore all assumptions remain assumptions.
Near rivers and lakes, in meadows, groves..., even in wastelands and courtyards - these are the places where folk round dances were held, where they received their special names and have retained this right for themselves since ancient times.
There are festive round dances, and there are everyday, everyday ones. Festive round dances are the most ancient: they are associated with memories of the past, an immemorial folk festival.

Russian round dances are distributed by time of year, free days of life and by class. Spring and autumn, the two times in which the villagers had the most fun. By accepting the division of round dances into spring, summer and autumn, you can see the real picture of Russian life and more correctly track the gradual progress of folk customs.

The originality of the Russian round dance lies in the variety of types, in the inextricable connection of its content with Russian reality, in the nature of its performance and existence, in its continuity with ancient rituals.

The round dance is connected with the rituals by thematic choreography. Those round dances that reflect the labor activity of the people are rightly considered the most ancient. The connection with work, everyday life, and the interests of the people in rituals and round dances remains to this day. Modern Russian round dance is also characterized by theatricality.
Under the influence of time and people, the types of round dances also change. In Russian folk dance, along with playful round dances, where individual groups of performers or soloists acted out the plot of the song, new types of round dances also appear: “set-up”, “collapsible” or “adjustable”.
The history of the transformation of round dances continues to this day. Intensified spectacular costumes, theatricalization and stylization, modern sound, lighting and video effects, on the one hand this is a magnificent show, but on the other hand there is an emasculation of the nationality, or rather Russian folk origins. Is it good or bad? There is a “double-edged sword” here.
Conclusion

Preserving at least what is left. But no one says that everyone needs to get into their shirts, pull on their bast shoes or boots, but there is a historical presentation of this or that material and there is a modern interpretation of folk art (as they say today - “remix”, but relating not only to music, but also to dance).
You can treat the present in different ways, but you cannot treat the past with disdain. It is necessary to develop, but you still need to know how it was, and you must not only treat the culture of your people with reverence, but also understand that folk art is what we are. We need to learn to understand what is stuck and what is inside under this layer of adherence. But how to achieve this?
When Russian culture is worthy, when Russian history is worthy, then it makes sense to spend time and turn, figure it out, feel who we really are.
But still, when you turn to studying the materials of Russian folk dance, it will be very difficult to understand where the truth is and where it is false. You look at thousands of pictures, photographs, and something else, and you will not find anything that will reveal to you the origins of Russian folk choreography. Go to museums, to ancient books in libraries, and there will be everything that we call Christian history, but everything ancient Russian is already tightly enveloped in this sticky web.
But maybe we will still find something in ancient Russian fairy tales, in epics, but even there there is already a lot of superficial, distorted things. But then let the heart tell us what is real and what is alien.

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History of the formation of Russian folk dance

Among the many forms of artistic culture, choreographic art occupies a special place. It develops imaginative thinking and imagination, and also ensures harmonious spiritual and physical development, and fosters an understanding of beauty. The national identity of every people directly depends on folklore. In which a large role is given not only to music, folk tales, customs and rituals, but also to folk dance - dance.

Folk dance is the collective artistic creativity of the people, incorporating their centuries-old life experience and knowledge.

Folk dance reflects a person’s life in a variety of ways, revealing his spiritual beauty and wealth. The aesthetic ideals contained in it have had a beneficial influence on many generations of people. The life and customs of ethnic groups in various countries have a direct connection with the development of cultural heritage and have a huge impact on the formation of dance culture. Choreographic art is one of the most widespread and ancient types of art, which originated from the ethnic structure of each nation. Since ancient times, people have used dance to convey their feelings, emotions and attitudes to life phenomena.

Every folk dance is the history of the people. It reflects joys and sorrows, wisdom, heroism, everyday life, morals and deep faith in a good beginning. Since ancient times, dancing has accompanied a person throughout his life. Only the character of these works composed by the people changed.

The formation of the choreographic art of our country was directly influenced by the development of the Russian choreographic school. This was due to territorial, political and economic factors, which inadvertently dooms each of us to become familiar with the choreographic culture of the Russian people. folk dance choreographic culture

The historical past of the Russian people testifies to its exceptionally developed creative environment, in which many generations of people were brought up and a national culture took shape.

Russian folk dance originated in the rituals and games of ancient Slavic tribes. Most ancient Russian dances had a close connection with the cult of agriculture, the natural cycle and imitation of animal habits. Analyzing the works of researchers of Russian national and dance culture, no examples of warlike dances were found.

In the ritual dances of ancient Rus', forms of thinking and attitude characteristic of a person of that time were manifested. This is animism and magic. Animism is the spiritualization of nature, the belief that behind every living and non-living object of the universe hides an invisible spirit, thereby reviving it. Animism is closely related to the magical representation of the world - belief in the power of words, rhythm, body movements, with the help of which a person can somehow influence the power of nature and cause the desired results: a rich harvest, good health, good luck in the hunt, offspring of livestock. Ritual dances have always been based on the principle of analogy - the belief in gaining power over an object by mastering its external appearance. The main thing in hunting dances was the imitation of an agile animal. The center of agricultural dances was the imitation of natural phenomena, birds and animals, labor and land work. And here a person, surrendering to his imagination, transferred it to reality. By burning or burying the effigy of Maslenitsa, Kostroma, he imagined that he was burying and saying goodbye to winter for another year. Imitating bird flight, he called for the arrival of real birds. By imitating labor processes, he wanted to get a rich harvest. Thus, in rituals and ritual dances, a person consolidated the knowledge and experience he had acquired. Without deeply comprehending the result of his actions, he viewed it as the result of the influence of good or evil forces. He tried to repeat the same actions, reproducing them in the same environment, in the same order, which brought him luck. That is, as in his understanding it was pleasing to the good forces. This is how ritual dances became established among the people and passed on from generation to generation.

The history of the formation of the aesthetic side of folk rituals is the constant selection by the people of the best works of their creativity. These works, having entered the ritual, did not remain unchanged; they were polished from generation to generation.

With the passage of time, the faith of the Russian people in the magical power of the ritual gradually fades away and takes on a more playful form. Gradually, individual genres emerged from the rituals, such as games, songs and round dances, which served as entertainment for the Russian people in their leisure time.

The most ancient and widespread form of Russian dance that has survived to this day is round dances, which have many divisions into genres and forms. Round dances can be playful and ornamental, performed in a circle, linearly and also incorporate a variety of different geometric patterns, be either mixed in the composition of dancers or exclusively female.

Russian dance emerged and developed in close connection with song, because despite all the variety of forms of Russian round dance, the dramatic beginning is laid and comes from the rhythmic pattern of the music. Analyzing the work of A. Klimov “Fundamentals of Russian folk dance” - “Every new era, new political, economic, administrative and religious conditions were reflected in the forms of social consciousness, including folk art,” we came to the conclusion that the development of Russian folk dance is closely connected with the entire history of the Russian people. Now we see Russian dance as it has reached our time, under the influence of all life and human factors. From year to year, under the influence of progress in society, the evolution of dance occurs. Gradually, obsolete types of dance are leaving the dance vocabulary and new types of dance are emerging. Based on this, Russian folk dance is also under constant influence from the outside, thereby continuously improving and enriching itself lexically.

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A) The 18th century was marked by the emergence of a new state - the Russian Empire. This era is associated with the name of Peter I, a brilliant reformer of his time. Serious changes have also taken place in culture. The traditions of Russian dance have always been alive. It was danced at court, and the dance survived in the provinces until the 20th century. Russian folk dance art is gradually changing. The dance takes on a more secular character. European dances became popular at court: French quadrille, minuet, polonaise and others. In the first half of the 18th century, the central dance was the minuet, which came to the court of Russian performers, because he demanded for performance exactly those features that are inherent in a Russian woman: plasticity and her natural modesty, softness and expressiveness of dance. And only among the people has Russian dance not only been preserved, but also developed and adopted new varieties. Thus, as a result of the influence of Western salon dances, square dancing, polka, etc. appear in Russian life. Once in the village, they radically change, acquiring typically Russian local features, manner and character of performance, only vaguely resembling their Western counterparts. (26)

At the same time, serf ballet appeared in Russia. Originating in the estates of landowners, it reached a high artistic level by the end of the 18th century. Since there was no theater in the province yet, serf troupes objectively served educational purposes. Rich nobles, inheriting endless lands, owning thousands of peasant souls, set up a state in miniature. In imitation of the capitals, the serf theater also arose.

Initially, serfs performed folk dances for their masters. One of the memoirists of the era tells how, having visited a landowner’s estate in the Pskov province, he saw such “village dances.” The dancers of the serf ballet, even becoming real “dancers,” carefully passed on the tradition of national dance to each other. This largely depended on their living conditions. Firstly, finding themselves in the setting of a landowner’s “ballet school,” they maintained contact with their native village, with its songs and dances. Secondly, they rarely broke away completely from their environment, working in the field and the manor house along with other serfs. Thirdly, serf ballet actors only in rare cases had foreign teachers and directors. (33)

The Russian national theme was widely established in the serf ballet theaters of the 18th century. The nature of the performance there was more original than on the court or private stages of Moscow and St. Petersburg. Most often, original dance works, individual numbers or interludes were included in operas based on Russian plots.

The ballet troupe of the Counts Sheremetyevs was the most professional among the serf ballets. Its actors have been trained since childhood. They were taken away from their parents and raised in a strict regime, changing their surnames according to the whim of the owner according to the name of the precious stones.

Among the dancers of this group, Mavra Uruzova-Biryuzova stood out, the figures were Avdotya Ametistova, Matryona Zhemchugova, Anna Khrustaleva and others. Among the dancers, the first roles were performed by Vasily Vorobyov, the second by Kuzma Serdolikov, Nikolai Mramorov. In first place in this group is the name of Tatyana Shlykova - Granatova.

From the very first steps, the ballet art of Russia declared itself as a professional art. It does not know the amateur period, as, for example, in France, where ballet performances were a monopoly of noble courtiers and the king's family.

In Russia, the very first performances were performed by actors who studied in theater schools, and for whom theatrical performance was the source of their livelihood. They improved their skills and expressed their style, their stage manner.(8)

Future Russian dance schools arose in the depths of general educational institutions not related to the theater. The St. Petersburg gentry corps, established in 1731, prepared Russian young men for military and public service. They were taught many subjects, including dancing. They practiced choreography 4 times a week for 4 hours. Here in 1734 J. Landais was invited to the position of dance master.(3)

B) In the 18th century, Russian folk dance images and folk dance were preserved on the Russian stage.

The art of Russian folk dance and its stage expressiveness were carefully preserved by dramatic actors and opera singers. Song and comic numbers were directly connected with dances of the ancient folk theater.

Russian ballet dancers also tried to preserve the traditions of performing folk dance, although this was very difficult with foreign dance masters in the imperial court theater. Russian dancer Timofey Bublikov showed his talent early. After leaving the stage, he received the title of "court dancing master." He taught serf artists in the troupe of P.I. Sheremetyev. Here he staged ballets based on Russian folk dances. On a Russian theme, he staged the ballet Lebedinskaya Fair to the music of A.D. Kopyeva. It was Bublikov who was destined to have a great influence on the activities of such Russian choreographers as I.I. Walberkh, I.M. Ablets, A.P. Glushkovsky. (9)

The interest of Russian society in choreographic art increased with each new ballet performance. The need to create a school became obvious. In 1738, the beginning of choreographic education in Russia was laid. The school was located in the former palace of Peter I; the choreographer was J. Landais. A.A. occupied a worthy place in the school. Nesterov, he studied with Lande even before the opening of the school and was the first Russian ballet teacher.

In 1777, a public theater was opened in St. Petersburg. It was the first commercial public theater in Russia, called the “Free Theatre”. A few years later it transferred to the treasury and began to be called city.

The repertoire of the city theater was intended for a wide range of spectators, but consisted of bourgeois drama, comic and serious ballets, and tragedies. The theater was very popular among city audiences. Soon it could no longer accommodate everyone, and in 1783 another building was built - a new Stone Theater was opened. The troupe of the city theater consists only of Russian artists, and even the productions were carried out by Russian choreographers. This distinguished the public theater from the court theater.(27)

In 1806, the school at the Petrovsky Theater ceased to exist, and the Moscow Imperial Theater School was organized on its basis.

Russian choreography in the second half of the 18th century mastered the study of staging trends and pedagogical techniques of foreign ballet. Hilferding, Angiolini, Canziani work in Russia. This time is marked by strengthening trends in Russian culture. They are associated with peasant uprisings and popular unrest that swept across the country.

Many gifted art masters emerged from serfdom. They played a significant role in the development of the provincial theater and in the formation of the original features of Russian performing arts.

At the beginning of the 19th century, when serf ballet became obsolete, many of its artists ended up on the capital's imperial stage.

Acting in the 18th century was of a civic and patriotic nature. This contributed to the introduction of broad pathetic intonations into stage dance. They organically merged with the majestic and chanting gesture of folk dance.(20)

In the 18th century it is still impossible to talk about an established Russian school of classical dance. But the acting style gradually develops, and folk dance plays a huge role in this process.

At the end of the 18th century, the first major choreographer I.I. came to the Russian theater. Walberch. A significant period in the history of choreography is associated with his name. His work expressed the characteristic features of the art of that time.(4)

As the events of the Patriotic War approached, the wave of patriotic feelings grew, covering diverse manifestations of social and cultural life. The performances of the dramatic stage reflected the rise of the national spirit and often caused demonstrations in the auditorium. At the same time, the genre of divertissements and interludes on folk themes gained exceptional popularity.

This mixed genre included spoken dialogue, singing, and dancing. The divertissement was based on a simple plot related to a national holiday, belief, historical reality or modern event. Such a plot made it possible to combine in action a variety of arias and folk songs, ballet dances and “dances to the voice of a Russian folk song,” with the most popular ones moving from one divertissement to another. Choreography was so important that choreographers were the scriptwriters and directors.(1)

The author of the divertissement “Semik, or Festivities in Maryina Roshcha” was dancer and choreographer I.M. Abletz. “Semik” dramatized the ancient rite of the spring revival of nature, preserved at the beginning of the 19th century. Ivan Lobanov was inimitable in the Russian and gypsy dances “Semika” and other divertissements. Glushkovsky and Lobanov themselves composed divertissements. They also took leading positions in Glushkovsky’s work. Although their number is no more than 20.(9)

These spectacles, which arose on the eve of the Patriotic War and reached their peak in the next decade, began to decline by the end of the 1820s. Moving away from the fruitful folk origins, they acquired caricature features and distorted folklore. Subsequently, the depleted divertissement became a symbol of a spectacle that led away from the pressing issues of people's life.

C) Since the beginning of the 19th century, the meaning of the term character dance began to change. It was called semi-characteristic, and the definition of characteristic passed on to folk dance. This meaning of the term has stuck to this day. The characteristic dance of the 19th century differed from folk dance in that it had not an independent, but a subordinate meaning. Its laws were dictated by orchestral, then symphonic music and the style of the performance. Popular movements were limited to a certain number of pas of a given nationality. (15)

The concept of “character dance” in the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century meant theatrical everyday dance in character, both salon and public.

Subordinating folk dance to a specific content, characteristic dance selected its most significant features and, enlarging and modifying the main thing, omitted the unimportant. This selection was natural. It made it possible to convey in dance the spirit of historical eras and the specific circumstances of the day's performance, features characteristic of the entire people, and the distinctive features of the character. Therefore, based on the same folk dance, you can create several characteristic dances that are not very similar to each other.

The place and role of character dance in ballet either expanded or contracted, according to the aesthetic requirements of a particular era. He could be the effective basis of the entire performance, he could drop out of the action, retaining only the rights of an insert number.

The main danger that beset the characteristic dance from the very beginning was the loss of folk content and style.(28)

From the very beginning, two trends emerged in the characteristic dance. One is based on creative proximity to the folklore source, striving to convey its meaning and artistic nature; the other is decorative, stylizing. Both trends influenced the fate of Russian character dance throughout its pre-revolutionary history, unmistakably revealing the general state of the ballet repertoire of a given time.

In the second half of the 19th century, the characteristic dance in a ballet performance was in the background. It was based on folk national dance, which was subject to significant stylization both in the design of groups and in the interpretation of movements. Like classical dance, the characteristic corps de ballet is positioned symmetrically, with equal numbers of participants on both sides of the stage. He also varied the same movement synchronously, creating an ornament or composed group from many participants. Often the characteristic corps de ballet served as a background for one, two or three pairs of soloists, reflecting the complex pattern of the dance in simpler movements.

The movements of the characteristic dance were stylized according to the principles of the classics. While maintaining their belonging to national dances, they softened, rounded, and became more fluid. The absolute eversion of the legs of classical dancers was replaced here by relative eversion. The toes were extended as in classical dance, the arms were opened and raised in classical dance positions. The dances of the most dissimilar nationalities were based on the same movements: pas de basque, battement developpe, battement jete. (3)

In some cases, character dances generally took the form of classical variations. When staging Chinese, Japanese, and Indian steps, choreographers brought the stylization to the point of borrowing the jumping technique of classical dance, while maintaining the distinctiveness of the positioning of the arms and body.

These were the forms of choreography that became canons for Russian ballet in the second half of the 19th century. (26)

Folk dance is one of the most ancient arts. It arose due to the need of a person to express his emotional state with the help of his body. Dance reflects the daily life of a person, his work routine. Joyful and sad impressions were also expressed through movements to a certain rhythm, and later to music.

The origins of dance art lie in ancient times. Evidence of this is rock paintings depicting dancing figures, presumably created during the Neolithic period (8 - 5 thousand years BC).

There is still no consensus on the primacy of the birth of dance, song or music; one thing is indisputable - the appearance of dance is associated with the awareness of rhythm as an accompaniment to a certain sequence of body movements. These rhythmic body movements could carry different contents, which subsequently served as the reason for the creation of many theories about the origin of dance (its predecessors were called games, magical or religious rituals, erotic instincts, etc.). Any of the theories has the right to exist, and also cannot be considered the only true one. Their careful study confirms the conclusion - at all times, dance has been important in the social life of man, in his harmonious, aesthetic and physical development.

Already at the first stage of its existence, dance tried to reflect reality in a social form, select its most typical features, and give them a certain image. The first music for the dancers was the sounds of drums, the noise of jingling bracelets and amulets, the first makeup was face painting imitating blood, and the first experience of acting expressiveness was imitation of various animals.

The birth of the art of dance

The first dances of antiquity were far from what is called by this word today. They had a completely different meaning. With a variety of movements and gestures, a person conveyed his impressions of the world around him, putting into them his mood, his state of mind. Shouts, singing, pantomime play were interconnected with dance. The dance itself has always, at all times, been closely connected with the life and way of life of people. Therefore, each dance corresponds to the character and spirit of the people in which it originated. With the change in the social system and living conditions, the nature and theme of art changed, and dance also changed. Its roots were deeply rooted in folk art.

Dancing was very common among the peoples of the ancient world. The dancers strived to ensure that every movement, gesture, and facial expression expressed some thought, action, or deed. Expressive dances were of great importance both in everyday life and in public life. Very often the festivities began and were accompanied by dancing.

For a person in a primitive society, dance is a way of thinking and living. Hunting techniques are practiced in dances depicting animals; The dance expresses prayers for fertility, rain and other urgent needs of the tribe. Love, work and ritual are embodied in dance movements.

Social and everyday dances accompanied family and personal celebrations, city and national holidays. There were different types of dances: home, city, and rural. They were varied in theme and compositional design, and in the composition of performers. It was social dances that had a great influence on the emergence of stage dance.

Over time, the choreography changed, each ethnic group had its own characteristics. In Ancient Egypt, the art of dance was primarily of a ritual nature. In antiquity, paramilitary dances were added to ritual dances, designed to raise the spirit of soldiers before battle. In Ancient Greece, with the development of theatrical art, stage dance also appeared. Thus, in the ancient period, folk dances can be divided into stage, military, sacred (religious, ritual) and social. In the Middle Ages there was a division into court and village dance. This division does not yet have clear boundaries, and often the same movements were present in both palace and folk dances.

In the 17th-19th centuries, ballroom dance and ballet developed. But the origins of court and stage choreography still lie in folk dance. Nowadays there are many dance styles and types, but they are all united by the unity of music, rhythm and movements.

The most ancient type of folk dance, existing among almost all ethnographic groups, is the round dance. His movements are simple and consist of walking in a circle to the accompaniment of music or singing. The circle shape may have symbolized the sun. Round dance existed and still exists among all Slavic peoples. In Lithuania it is called korogod, in Moldova - hora, in Bulgaria, Romania - horo, among the Croats, Bohemians, Dalmatians - kolo.

One of the most ancient dance traditions is that of the African continent. The peculiarity of Negro dance is the predominant importance of rhythm over music. African culture provided the material for the development of many Latin American dances: mambo, merengue, samba, cha-cha-cha, lambada and many others. Even modern dance styles - jazz dance, popping, rock and roll, hip-hop, breakdancing, RnB and others - are based on the folk art of the black population of the globe.

Folk dance created the basis for ballroom dance. Thus, the well-known and beloved waltz originated from the ancient folk dance volta, the mazurka, which became the queen of the ball in the 18th and 19th centuries - from the Polish folk dances mazur, kujawiak and oberek.

Some folk dances are the hallmark of one country, like the tarantella for Italy, “Kalinka”, “Barynya” for Russia, Cossack, Hopak for Ukraine, Krakowiak for Poland, Csardas for Hungary. And others have spread throughout the world, incorporating national characteristics of different regions, such as polka and gypsy dances. There are countless styles and types of folk dances, but they all have one thing in common - they reflect the chronicle of the history of the people, their soul and character.

Folk dance is a colorful, vibrant creation of the people, embodying their emotional and artistic image. Folk dance can tell and show the entire centuries-old and diverse history of the society in which it originated. Folk dance is the personification of people's imagination and the depth of their feelings. It is rich in content, plot, dramatic basis, spatial patterns and plastic movements that are characteristic of a particular nationality. Folk dance is the most vivid and specific form of reflecting reality, because it reveals norms of behavior and relationships, ethics, morality, as well as any changes in the social, economic and political spheres. All these aspects of each era are reflected in the artistic creativity of the people.

Origins

The history of the origin of folk dance goes very deep. Ancient people copied the movements of animals, imitated natural phenomena - this is how the primitive dance was born, which evolved into a real way of communication and manifestation of feelings. The movements of such dances were a kind of reflection of the impression of the surrounding world. An important role in the creation of folk dance as a type was played by ritual mysteries, ceremonial, religious and ethnic rites, which were simply full of choreography. It is worth noting that the experience, talent and imagination of more than one generation were invested in the creation and evolution of folk dance. Dance forms of folk choreography were honed as art over time and with each era they acquired artistic value and completeness, moving towards perfection.

Folk dance cannot be confused with any other type of dance. It is transmitted ethnically and genetically from generation to generation, regardless of faith and nationality. Therefore, it is not surprising that the soul begins to dance to the tunes of folk dance. Every nation has a dance that is unique to them. It differs in the style of performance, technical content, presentation, mood, music and costumes. All these traditional signs have been developed over centuries and reflect the centuries-old history of the people.

The main feature of folk dance as a unique phenomenon is that, without having a specific author, this dance is invariably passed down from generation to generation and is the truest and most recognizable calling card of each nationality. It is worth noting that the national character of folk dance is manifested in many features, namely: in the musical and choreographic structure, colorful details, and performing manner. Despite its importance, this dance is distinguished by a fairly simple technique of execution and simple figures and steps. They have a more generalized character and are rich in ethnicity.