Transcendental Dimensions of Ancient Dance Culture

Abstract

The article presents a study of sacred dances in ancient culture. The origins of dance and their connection with the mysteries are considered. The approach to dance as a language born in the infancy of mankind and closely related to myth allows identifying the semantic units of dance which express the mythological foundations of the creation of the universe and the birth of order from chaos. The procedure of understanding mythological meanings is based on the identification of symmetry structures. The authors of the article analyse the forms of dance compositions as systems of non‐verbal semantic constructs and study the image of the Labyrinth in the choreographic ancient tradition as a symbol of mastering and accumulating experience with subsequent transformation and comprehension of a new development stage of the soul.

Keywords

• antiquity
• dance
• physicality
• myth
• symbol
• language
• symmetry
• labyrinth