Image of the Hutsul male dance “Arkan” in Ukrainian literature: archetypal interpretation and educational potential

Abstract

The article examines the symbolic and cultural meanings of the Hutsul male dance Arkan in the literary discourse of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The relevance of the study lies in the need for an interdisciplinary understanding of traditional dance as a cultural phenomenon that functions not only within choreographic practice but also in literary representation and cultural memory. The aim of the research is to analyze the literary interpretations of the Hutsul dance Arkan and to determine its symbolic, archetypal, and ethnocultural meanings within artistic texts.

The methodological framework of the study is based on an interdisciplinary approach that combines methods of literary analysis, cultural studies, ethnological interpretation, and elements of archetypal criticism. The research also employs principles of ritual theory and the concept of cultural memory for interpreting the symbolic functions of traditional dance in literary narratives.

The results of the study demonstrate that in literary works of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the Hutsul male dance Arkan evolves from an ethnographic description of folk tradition into a complex artistic symbol. In literary discourse it functions as a metaphor of initiation, collective solidarity, masculine identity, and historical continuity of the Carpathian cultural space.

The scientific novelty of the article lies in the interdisciplinary interpretation of the dance Arkan as a cultural code that connects ritual practice, literary symbolism, and choreographic tradition. The study expands the understanding of the interaction between folk dance heritage and literary representation.

Conclusions. The conducted research demonstrates that in the literary discourse of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the Hutsul male dance Arkan acquires the status of a complex artistic symbol that combines archetypal symbolism, ritual meanings, and mechanisms of cultural memory. In literary texts, this dance gradually evolves from an ethnographically documented folkloric practice into a generalized artistic image that represents the ideas of initiation, masculine solidarity, communal strength, and the historical continuity of tradition. Literary representations of Arkan show that a folk-dance form can function as an important cultural code through which processes of collective identity formation, social interaction, and spiritual resilience are interpreted. In this context, the image of the dance functions not only as an ethnocultural marker of the Hutsul tradition but also as a symbolic model of interaction between the individual, the community, and historical memory. For contemporary choreographic practice, such literary interpretations open new possibilities for the artistic reinterpretation of the dance Arkan within the stage space. In particular, they allow it to be considered a dramaturgical basis for stage productions that actualize themes of initiation, collective interaction, bodily solidarity, and cultural continuity. This creates opportunities for integrating traditional dance material into both folk-stage and contemporary choreographic practice.