Мотивы животных в литовской народной и сценической национальной хореографии

ENThe greatest part of the existing written authentic choreography works date hack to the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. It was the period when they had already lost their ritual functions and existed more as a form of entertainment. Most of Lithuanian choreography works refer to the main occupation of Lithuanian people, that is, agriculture. There are dances named after animals: "Goatling" (Oželis), "Little Bee" (Bitelė), "Little Wagtail" (Kielytė), "Little Swallow" (Blezdingėlė), "Little Bear" (Meškutė), "Little Partridge" (Kurapkytė). If compared to the dances symbolizing agricultural work, dances referring to animals were not as popular. Considering animals, Lithuanian choreography most often portrayed birds. Dances showing the lifestyle, culture, and habits of the considered period (the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries) are still performed in the same way nowadays, yet these national dances have become accommodated to the scenic requirements. The analysis of Lithuanian national dances reveals the following similarities with the authentic choreography: • a large part of dances symbolize procedures of work; agriculture usually gains exceptional popularity on the stage; • many Lithuanian national dances are named after animals and performance of them is related to the characteristic movements of these animals; • the analysis of animal names used to name dances shows that most of them are named after birds.