FEATURES OF MEANING MAKING IN THE RUSSIAN FOLK DANCE

The article analyzes the semantic nature of dance. The purpose of this study is to identify the symbolic and semantic nature of the Russian folk dance and to trace the process of the formation of the dance language by analyzing its main compositional forms and movements. The most frequently occurring and manifesting phenomena — animate and inanimate nature, activities and events in the life of the people — were symbolized in the dance. The author relies on the works of such scientists as Yu. M. Lotman, E. Ya. Basin and others. Lotman's structuralsemiotic concept of cultural being allows to consider the Russian folk dance as an artistic text. As a result of the study the interrelation of the dance constituent elements as a sign system was revealed, and the need to preserve the dance semantic load was substantiated in order to keep the traditions of the Russian folk dance. The text of a choreographic work is defined as containing a certain meaning and conveying the traditions of the Russian people, their character, temperament, worldview, lifestyle and social system. The meanings of the Russian folk dance are expressed in dance images, compositional forms and movements, which form a special type of artistic language — the language of dance.