Abstract:

The article examines the sign nature and artistic system of Ukrainian stage dance in semiotic and art studies dimensions. The multilevel structure of the sign space of choreographic art is substantiated, encompassing kinetic, symbolic, cultural-archetypal and intertextual levels of semiosis. The main components of the artistic system of Ukrainian stage dance are identified: lexical, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic. The role of the symbolism of costume, props and scenography as integral elements of the semantic space of a choreographic work is characterized. The principle of synthesis of folk-ritual and academic choreographic traditions as the basis for the formation of a distinctive artistic language of Ukrainian stage dance is revealed. The authors demonstrate that the sign nature of Ukrainian stage dance is determined by its synthetic character, polysemantic richness and cultural-symbolic density. The artistic system of this art form represents an open, dynamic structure that continuously evolves while retaining the invariant core of national artistic tradition. Special attention is paid to the iconic, indexical and symbolic dimensions of choreographic signs, as well as to the role of movement as a primary bearer of artistic meaning. The article traces the historical evolution of the artistic system of Ukrainian stage dance from ritual folk choreography to the forms of professional academic performance. It is shown that the key figures of Ukrainian choreographic culture – in particular, the founders of the national folk-stage school – made a decisive contribution to the formation of a synthetic artistic language in which folk plasticity acquired new expressive possibilities without losing national identity. The contextual conditionality of sign functions in choreographic art is emphasized: the meaning of a choreographic sign is always realized in interaction with musical, poetic and scenographic contexts. The study of semiotic parameters and artistic-systemic characteristics of Ukrainian stage dance is defined as an important direction of contemporary art studies and cultural studies. Prospects for further research are connected with the development of methodological principles of semiotic analysis of specific choreographic works and comparative study of the sign systems of various regional schools of Ukrainian stage dance. 

Keywords: sign, semiotics of dance, stage dance, artistic system, choreographic art, Ukrainian choreography, folk-stage dance, symbol, artistic image.  

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