ABSTRACT

Russian contemporary (non-classical) dance – this might describe the territory we are going to explore. Like every phenomenon in our postmodern reality, it cannot be precisely captured, because it cannot be inscribed in the rigid framework of a single artistic style. This is why this reality calls into question not only the precision of definitions, but even such concepts as “artistic” and “style.” Pluralism and openness, a lack of universal canons for “what” and “how”; the modernist orientation toward constant novelty and relevance; the negation of all myths and ideologies; and, finally, a focus on crossing and blurring boundaries of all kinds are the basic components of contemporary dance. For its adherents, the word contemporary is a code, a password, a sign of belonging to a certain global space with no geographical and political borders, to the processes that are vital and relevant at a given moment, in art and in life.