PSYCHOSEMANTIC ANALYSIS OF THE PERCEPTION OF DANCE ART

This article justifies the possibility and effectiveness of using a psychosemantic approach to analyze the perception of dance art, viewed as a unique non-verbal language with symbolic properties. A key characteristic of the approach is the examination of the artwork through the recipient, focusing on the construction of semantic spaces that reflect the content of the viewer’s consciousness. Psychosemantic analysis allows for the identification of unconscious signs of categorization in works of art. To identify the categorical structure of the dance semantic space, a dance semantic differential was used, consisting of 59 characteristics used to evaluate four dance styles: ballet, ballroom dancing, folk dancing, and contemporary dance. Respondents aged 16 to 40, of both genders, assessed the four dance styles based on the 59 characteristics. A total of 101 participants with varying degrees of involvement in dance activities (professional performers, amateurs, choreographers) were divided into four subsamples (congruent with the directions being assessed) according to the dance styles they represented. Additionally, 37 individuals who perceive dance art from an external perspective were included as “viewers”. In the overall sample, six categories were extracted that define the semantic space of dance phenomenology: 1) Internal Democracy; 2) Internal Dictatorship; 3) Psychophysical Complexity; 4) Aesthetic Simplicity; 5) Populism (+) ↔ Elitism (–); (6) Canonicity. Categories 1–3 are related to the dancer’s internal experience in dance, while categories 4–6 pertain to the perception of dance from the viewer’s standpoint. It was shown that different dance styles are evaluated differently by respondents within this semantic space. We posited that each dance style functions as a subculture with its own norms, language, and values, which affects the identity of the dancer and their interaction with the surrounding world. Therefore, differences in evaluations of dance styles provided by representatives of those styles were identified and analyzed. An appendix includes a list of the 59 characteristics of the dance semantic differential.