Actualization of traditional art practices in contemporary art of Mordovia (in the context of creating choreographic suites)

Abstract

Introduction. Among the processes that are clearly traced in the modern artistic practices of Mordovia, there is one that draws particular attention – the desire to comprehend folk art in a new way, to actualize the traditional layers of culture within the framework of neo-traditional forms of contemporary art. A folk dance is an example of one of the directions of modern choreography. The purpose of the article is to review the experience of creating choreographic suites in modern dance in Mordovia, based on traditional folklore. This allows studying the techniques of citing traditional forms of folk art in contemporary art and the ways of their actualization. Materials and Methods. As the main material for studying, this study analyzed the performances of choreographers of Mordovia, working with such modern dance as choreographic suites «Girl-birch» and «Eight Mordovian songs». It was possible to formulate answers to the research tasks as a result of the application of a systematic analysis of sources on this topic, as well as carrying out a comparative analysis of the compositional structures of these choreographic suites, the specific features of the construction of their choreographic texts and work with musical material. Results and Discussion. The actualization of traditional artistic practices in contemporary art is an experiment and constant search for new ways of expression. Within the framework of one of the neo-traditionalist trends in contemporary art, folk dance, one can observe the way how traditional values are rethought and considered as relevant now, thereby the past becomes part of the modern way of life. In this context, the analysis of the search for a new way of expression within the framework of the suite form is of particular interest. As a result of the analysis of the compositional forms of modern choreographic performances in Mordovia, it revealed two trends in the development of the form of a choreographic suite: a movement along the path of creating a production with non-classical content on the basis of the classical suite structure and an appeal to traditional compositional forms of folk art and filling them with relevant content. Conclusion. The neo-traditional trend in art is based on the idea that tradition is not only the past of the people, it also exists here and now, our actual present. With the advent of the folk direction in modern choreography, the search for such an actual true tradition has become a unique feature of modern dance in Mordovia. Within the framework of this article, some ways of the development of folk direction were noted, associated with experiments in relation to the form of a choreographic suite and the main trends in the search for the development of the dance form were outlined.