Tenyakov I. Yu. Dance as a Cultural Text: A Semiotic Analysis of Khanty and Mansi Choreography in the Context of Traditional Festivals

Posted on 28.06.2026 by editor

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Original article

https://doi.org/10.15507/2076-2577.26182.285-298
https://elibrary.ru/zzjibi
УДК / UDC 39:793.3(571.122-25)

Dance as a Cultural Text: A Semiotic Analysis of Khanty and Mansi Choreography in the Context of Traditional Festivals

I. Yu. Tenyakov
Orel State Institute of Culture, Orel, Russian Federation
Saint Petersburg State Institute of Culture, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation

Abstract

Introduction. Dance is interpreted as a distinct semiosphere that synthesizes costume, movement, and rhythm, thereby encoding ethnic identity. The relevance of this study is обусловлена the threat of the loss of the unique cultural code of the Indigenous peoples of the North in the context of globalization, which makes the preservation and study of their dance heritage particularly significant. The aim of the study is to conduct a semiotic analysis of the dances of the Khanty and Mansi peoples (“Bear Festival” and “Crow Day”) and to identify the relationship between their festive culture and dance as a reflection of traditional worldview models.

Materials and Methods. The theoretical framework of the study is based on the works of representatives of the semiotic school (R. Barthes, Y. M. Lotman, B. A. Uspensky), which make it possible to consider the dance culture of the Khanty and Mansi as a sign system (“text of culture”) in which movement, rhythm, and costume function in unity. M. M. Bakhtin’s concept of dialogue and carnivalization is applied to analyze ritual communication during festivals, while E. B. Tylor’s animistic theory and the concept of “survivals” are used to reconstruct archaic layers of worldview. The empirical basis consists of ethnographic descriptions of the ritual complexes “Bear Festival” and “Crow Day”, including an analysis of dance movements, costume, rhythmic patterns, and their correlation with the mythological model of the world (a vertical three-tier structure of the universe). The main method employed is semiotic analysis aimed at decoding the worldview meanings embedded in traditional choreography.

Results and Discussion. The key festivals that embody the vertical three-tier model of the world among the Khanty and Mansi are the “Bear Festival” and “Crow Day”. They serve as carriers of profound mythologemes and the collective unconscious. The Bear Festival, dedicated to the veneration of the ancestral animal, comprises a complex of rituals, songs, and dances lasting several days. “Crow Day,” marking the arrival of spring, is likewise rich in dance practices. In the culture of the Khanty and Mansi, dance functions as a “living text”, in which key mythologemes are materialized through movement, costume, and rhythm; it enables communication with gods, spirits, and ancestors, and serves the function of preserving and transmitting the cultural code.

Conclusion. The scientific novelty of the study lies in a comprehensive semiotic analysis of the dance culture of the Khanty and Mansi, incorporating field materials and identifying stable structural oppositions that organize the kinetic text of the ritual. The practical significance of the work is determined by the possibility of applying its results in the activities of folklore ensembles engaged in the stage reconstruction of traditional dances, in the development of educational programs in ethnography, as well as in museum and tour-guiding practice.

Keywords: culture, dance, cultural text, semiotic analysis, myth, ethnic identity, festival

Conflict of interest: The author declares no conflict of interest.

For citation: Tenyakov I.Yu. Dance as a Cultural Text: A Semiotic Analysis of Khanty and Mansi Choreography in the Context of Traditional Festivals. Finno–Ugric World. 2026;18(2):285‒298. https://doi.org/10.15507/2076-2577.26182.285-298

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Information about the author:

Ivan Yu. Tenyakov, Lecturer of the Department of Choreography, Orel State Institute of Culture (15 Leskova St., Orel 302020, Russian Federation); Postgraduate Student of the Department of Theory and History of Culture, Saint Petersburg State Institute of Culture (1 Millionnaya St., Saint Petersburg 191181, Russian Federation), ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-9328-8591, SPIN-code: 6501-0253, ivan.peters.99@mail.ru

The author has read and approved the final manuscript.

Submitted 21.01.2026; revised 20.03.2026; accepted 27.03.2026.

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