LES KURBAS ARTISTIC AND PEDAGOGICAL SCHOOL IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHOREOGRAPHIC EDUCATION IN UKRAINE

Abstract

The article substantiates the relevance of the artistic and pedagogical heritage of the outstanding Ukrainian director of the XX century, a theater teacher, a thinker, and a founder of the national modern theater Les Kurbas, and his influence on the development of choreographic education in Ukraine. His stage-creative and pedagogical contribution to an actor’s plastic culture formation is analyzed. It has been found that the master’s achievements are formed into a coherent pedagogical system and a separate paradigmatic direction of theater education. The significance of the ‘Berezil theater school’ phenomenon in the formation of concepts of national choreographic pedagogy is studied. The complex of innovative artistic and aesthetic principles of work with future stage art performers, introduced by L. Kurbas, is characterized. It is proved that Berezil art and pedagogical system created by L. Kurbas, in general, caused innovative changes in the choreographic training of actors and directors in the first third of the XX century. It significantly adjusted the training content, defined strategic guidelines in the formation of theoretical and practical principles of professional choreographic education. Firstly, in determining the essential features of the updated model of actor training, the status of dance as an integral part of acquiring the basics of professional skill was significantly strengthened. The formation of choreographic training content in theater universities was influenced by the choreographic and pedagogical ‘Berezil’ achievements in the areas of expanding the content of the course ‘Stage Movement,’ active implementation of the principle of unity of theoretical training with practical study of ‘Fundamentals of Acting.’ Secondly, the large-scale educational work of the Berezil association had primarily a pedagogical meaning, played a significant role in educating a wide range of amateur actors, coordinating the activities of its branches. The heads of Berezil’s peripheral studios synthesized innovative creative ideas in the field of choreographic education along with the theatrical vertical, involving working and rural youth in their understanding. The study summarizes the leading trends of the master’s educational activities in the field of actor and director professional training by means of expressive stage movement. Among the promising key principles of the concept of choreographic education of actors and directors, formed by L. Kurbas, the deep ideological orientation, cultivation of new aesthetics of stage movement, integration of production and educational objectives, practice-oriented content, emphasis on self-improvement are singled out.