Characteristic aspects of teaching the discipline “Dance” to the students of the specialization “Directing of the Drama Theatre”
Authors: Bortnyk K.V. 
Published: June 2019

Background. Modern theatre education in Ukraine is carried out through the extensive teaching system, which also includes different aspects of the training of future directors of the drama theatre. Some hours in academic programmes of institutions of higher theatre education are given for plastic training, which is carried out in the lessons of eurhythmics, stage movement, stage fencing, as well as dance. As for the latter, among the whole complex of disciplines connected with moving, the discipline “Dance” has the most significant value, as choreography today is one of the most demanded expressive means of dramatic performance. In addition, knowledge of the fundamentals of choreography and its history contributes to the comprehensive development of the director’s personality, his aesthetic education, the formation of artistic taste, the ability to orientate both in traditional and innovative requirements to the choreographic component of the drama performance, to obtain a contemporary idea of the mutual influence of different art forms, so, to raise his professional development. The objectives of this study are to substantiate the features of teaching the discipline “Dance” and determine its place in the contemporary education system of the director of the drama theatre. Methods. An analytical method is used to determine the components of the discipline “Dance” in the teaching system of the students of the specialization “Stage director of the Drama Theatre”. With the help of the system approach, the place and functions of each type of choreography have been identified within the discipline “Dance”; its integrity, functional significance and perspective development in the system of theatre education of directors are demonstrated. Results. The results indicate that in the education system of the director of the drama theatre the discipline “Dance” is essential not only because of the active involvement of the choreography in the arsenal of the demanded expressive means of drama performance, but it also contributes to the comprehensive development of the director’s personality and his proficiency enhancement. In view of this, a discipline program should be formed with the basic knowledge of various types of choreography. The basis of the choreographic training should be a system of classical dance, which brings up the naturalness of the movement performance, expressive gesture and laying the foundation for the study of other types of choreography. The purpose of the historical ballroom dance is to master the character of the dance culture of a certain epoch, the ability to wear a corresponding dress, use the accessories. The study of this section should be accompanied by a conversation about the era and its artistic styles, dance fashion, special considerations on the relationship between a man and a woman in a dance. This is necessary for the future unambiguous determination of the plastic component of the theatre performance in the pieces by the playwrights of the past centuries. The folk dance stage adaptation introduces the customs and culture of different peoples. Studying of dances all nationalities does not make sense, because the spectrum of their use in performances of the drama theatre today is rather narrow. It is required to concentrate on the basic movements of Ukrainian, Russian, Gypsy, Spanish, Italian, Hungarian and Jewish dances, partly – Old Slavic. It is necessary to require of the students the correct manner of performance and form a comprehension about relevance of the using of folk dance in the context of the director’s vision of a particular performance. The need for the future director’s awareness in contemporary dance is due to the fact that its means can create the plastic component of almost any show. The task of the teacher is to train basic knowledge to the students with the obligatory requirement of the faithful character of the performance of a particular artistic movement or style, considering what is sought out in the drama theatre: contemporary, jazz, partially – street and club style. The tango, which sometimes appears in dramatic performances, should be singled out separately; it should be studied in the form of social and scenic variants with the addition of movements of contemporary choreography. In class it is expedient to use improvisation, to offer the students to make dance pieces on their own. Significant attention should be paid to the musical accompaniment of the lesson, the explanation of the tempo-based and rhythmic peculiarities of musical compositions, and to teach the students to choose the background music for their own dance works independently. It is advisable to give some classes in the form of lectures, in particular, use video lectures that clearly represent the nature and manner of performing various types of choreography. Students’ individual work should consist in consolidating practical skills, compiling own dance pieces and familiarizing with the history of choreography. The director will later be able to use all the acquired knowledge while working with the choreographer, and in the absence of the latter, he will be able to create the dance language of the performance independently. Conclusions. Thus, the dance is an integral part of the education system of the drama theatre director, especially at the present stage, at the same time, the plastic arts is one of the most important components of the performance. This necessitates the stage director’s awareness in various types of choreography in order to use the acquired knowledge and skills in the creative work. In dance class, it is necessary to form a general idea of each type of dance, its purpose, manner of performance and features of use in the performances of the drama theatre. It is essential to demand musicality and rhythmic performance, the ability to improvise. It is advisable to hold both practical and lecture classes, to assign tasks for the independent work of creative and educational content. Eventually, the stage expressiveness, the sense of form, style, space, time, rhythm in the dance, knowledge of the features of partnership and ensemble are raised with the students; the skills of working with the actors on the choreographic component of the performance and the ability to cooperate with the choreographer are formed.