Mythological Imagery in Post-Folk Dance as a Way of Actualizing Tradition

The present article explores the manner in which myth functions as an artistic medium in the oeuvre of contemporary choreographers who are engaged in the creation of works related to post-folk dance. As early as the studies of F.W. Schelling, myth was regarded as a paradigm of artistic creation, endowed with a symbolic meaning deemed necessary for the development of art. In his analysis, the mythological world was conceptualized as a realm wherein stable and definitive imagery is not only possible but is integral to the articulation of eternal and constant concepts. The creation of artistic works by means of post-folk dance, with a conceptual core comprising mythological images, has twofold consequences. On the one hand, it opens up new layers of content and allegorical meanings of folklore. On the other hand, it actualizes the value of human existence. This is indicative of contemporary man who is experiencing a sense of disorientation in a rapidly and incessantly changing world. This has led to a growing difficulty in defining both himself and his self-identity. The proposed article seeks to capture and comprehend the experience of creating a performance through the medium of post-folk dance, where the formative technique involves an appeal to mythological images of traditional culture, thereby actualizing tradition and, through it, establishing a spiritual connection between the modern individual and their cultural roots, thus evoking the experience of past generations. The investigated dance performance is analysed through the lens of the application of symbolic languages – or ‘codes of ritual’. In this analysis, the spatial code, musical code, actional code, object code, and others are distinguished. This article outlines a culturological approach to further understanding of the phenomenon of ‘post-folk dance’.