Танцювальні студії (Jun 2019)
Аrtistic Stylistic Peculiarities of Ancient Egyptian Ritual Dance
Abstract
The purpose of the article is to carry out a reflection on the subject of reception of ancient Egyptian ritual dances in the research field of national choreology and to identify the artistic and stylistic peculiarities of their performance. Methodology. Reflexive analysis has been used to determine in certain types of ancient Egyptian ritual dances of some stable attributes of their existence, the hermeneutic method allows an attempt to interpret the latter taking into account the religious and mythological worldview of the ancient Egyptians, historical makes it possible to comprehend the formation and functioning of ritual dances against the background of cultural and historical development of the Ancient Egypt. Scientific novelty. For the first time in the domestic art criticism, an attempt was made to study ancient Egyptian ritual dances and it is based on the analysis of head-sab (Pharaoh’s run), “underfoot”, “Eternity Feast” and dances in honor of the goddess Hathor to reveal their artistic and stylistic features. Conclusions. Ancient Egyptian ritual dances were formed under the influence and in the context of the formation of religious and mythological beliefs, which are based on the requiem cult and deification of the pharaoh’s power throughout the history of ancient Egypt. They begin to take shape even in the pre-dynastic period, acquiring specific features in a particular the cosmogonic concept. The compositional decision and the rational organization of ritual dances corresponded to established canonical principles, meaningful within the limits of the dominant “theological discourse” (J. Assman). Created in time and space with the help of such attributes as posture, jump, movement, gesture, step, rhythm, plasticity, ancient Egyptian ritual dances in their religious form were intense spiritual work and the Egyptians spiritual creativity, and in artistic form they represented an organically-syncretic unity of perfect dance forms, among which are the “dance of the stars” performed by the priests, the “feast of Eternity”, dances head-sab (Pharaoh’s run) and “underfoot”, dances in honor of the goddess Hathor.
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