Form-Generating in Early Development of Pre-Stage Dance Language

Recieved: 03/21/2025

Accepted: 04/16/2025

Published: 04/30/2025

Keywords: historical dance, pre-stage dance, the language of dance, shaping in dance, courtly culture, Renaissance culture, Medieval dance, court culture, Renaissance dance, theatrical performances and celebrations

Available in the on-line version with: 30.05.2026

To cite this article

Kondratenko Y.A. Form-Generating in Early Development of Pre-Stage Dance Language. // Theory and History of Art. 2025. N 3, p.151–169 https://doi.org/10.55959/MSU2411-0795-2025-3-09.

This work is licensed under a Сreative Commons Atribiution - NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Abstract

The article examines specific features of historical dance language and everyday dance language, as well as outlines the processes of form- and meaning-generation. The term "pre-stage dance" is introduced to provide a more comprehensive understanding of this type of dance expression. The paper analyses the early historical stages of pre-stage dance development, focusing on Medieval courtly culture and the Renaissance. The study reveals that before-stage, pre-stage and stage types of dance are interrelated in terms of the composition and construction of their formal structures. The research identifies three stages: early accumulation of language material through borrowing and rethinking forms from folk (pre-stage) dance; systematization of this material and the onset of constructing a unique system of expression; and the search for a composition using the language of pre-stage dance.

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