Semiology of Stage Forms of Duet Dance in Classical Choreography

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to identify the features of the figurative and symbolic system of duet stage dance through the prism of the specificity of classical choreography. Research methodology. The method of semiotic analysis, typological method, system analysis method, art history and genre-style method, as well as the method of theoretical analysis were applied. Scientific novelty. Duet stage dance and its biplanarity in the context of classical choreography were considered. The characteristic signs in which the meaning of duet stage dance is embedded, as well as the set of semioprogrammatic and syntactic rules inherent in classical choreography, were specified; the structure and symbolic levels of the classical pas de deus were analysed. Conclusions. The codified movements of classical dance, as the oldest and most fundamental code of dance, which forms the basis of stage dance, are endowed with significant intentionality and, accordingly, generate meaning. In the classical paradigm, the goal is to tell a story through gestures, using a pre-established narrative. Duet-stage dance, as a type of performing art, uses a specific system of signs with which it constructs the meaning of choreographic productions. These signs are elements of signification – creative elements that give meaning to the work in the communication process. Their understanding and interpretation determine the style or creative paradigm of each production. Within this group of signs created in duet-stage dance, movement has a temporal structure, since it develops in a temporal and spatial context. Gesture and facial expressions are considered as a sign of constructing meaning for communication with the viewer. The semiotics of pas de deus considers this ballet form as a complex sign system, in which every movement, structure and partner interaction is embedded with a deep symbolic meaning. The key sign levels are gender binary, spatial semantics, kinesics and physical contact.