Ballroom Dance in the Soviet Ukraine from the End of 1950s to 1980s

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the processes of formation and development of ballroom dance in Soviet Ukraine from the end of 1950s to the 1980s. It was demonstrated that ballroom dance in this period went through several stages of implementation of ballroom dances in the child and adult repertoire, formation of ballroom dance troops (clubs, studios, ensembles, etc.), construction of system of ballroom dancing “khudozhnia samodiialnist”, implementation of sport forms of competition, but with the mandatory “soviet program”. It was stressed that “soviet program” of ballroom dances is formed of dances which are made on bases of national dances, but with the principle of ballroom dance. For the creation of soviet ballroom dance as independent phenomenon which was opposing to the western ballroom choreography mechanism of national regulation and ideological pressure was applied. However, the fact of ballroom-sport dancing spreading in the USSR testifies to the processes of democratization and liberalization in art, extension of diapason of prohibited forms of art activity in the sphere of choreography.