The main focus of the dissertation is 15th century Italian court dance, which was one of the prime manifestations of the emerging aristocratic society all across renaissance Europe. The dissertation draws on a detailed research into original dance notations and works on dance theory of dance masters Domenico da Piacenza, Antonio Cornazana and Guglielmo Ebreo/Giovanni Ambrosio and contains first-time Czech translations of important parts of these works. The text first addresses general issues (occasions and locations for dancing, dance education and the role of the dance master, functions of dance in a given historical period, intellectual and philosophical framework of early dance treatises) and moves on to analyse specific features of period dance theory and provides a description of ractical aspects of the realization of dance choreography (basic steps and movements, figures, spatial dance forms etc.). The dissertation contains a reconstruction of one such dance choreography. A certain journey into related fields and later historical periods are chapters on the aesthetic of movement (required posture, position of the head, facial expression, hand gestures etc.) and period etiquette (acceptance of social hierarchy in dance and beyond, ways of showing respect and greetings, asking to dance and...

Text in English / This case study of the Caravan Traditional Dance group profiles Musisinyani Mackson Mavunda‘s contribution to Tsonga music and dance performing arts. The lack of documentation of the work of Tsonga local traditional composers and choreographers is well-known in South Africa. This is echoed by Kidula (2006: 109), stating that ‗many studies from the continent have few outlets in the global academy, inasmuch as the work done by foreign researchers is barely known in much of Africa‘. A few years in the future, it will not be known who the composer of a certain song was, and what their intentions were in composing that particular song. Naturally the composers want to send a message to the community and sometimes to entertain the community or compose for a certain ritual. Composers need a considerable amount of planning and carefully chosen words, choreography and so on and this becomes apparent when taking into account the time and effort they put into composing a song. In response to this problem and by placing the composers‘ narratives at the centre, the study examines the role of the founder of the Caravan Traditional Dance group (CTD), Musisinyani Mackson Mavunda, and his contribution to Tsonga music and dance performing arts. This requires a critical examination of all aspects of his CTD professional career: his musical beginnings, teaching career, teaching of Tsonga traditional dances and his social and cultural heritage in the society. The key finding of this study was that Musisinyani distinguishes the humanity of others, which is Ubuntu philosophy. Music is power. It has power from within the composer. This is seen through the composer‘s confidence, assertiveness and motivation when composing songs. Music has the power to do; this is the listeners‘ choice. Through the power of music, people can gain skills; they may be productive and can network and be innovative. Music also has power over people, and the power to influence communities, thereby helping unite community members to work towards a common cause to achieve a common goal. It therefore gives communities strength and cohesion. As the community they have the power to challenge the status quo and to encourage one another. / Art History, Visual Arts and Musicology / M. Mus. (Musicology)

This dissertation covers with exploring the meaning of dance in human life in the history and today. It specialises on dance in the leisure time field and its therapeutic use and describes the evolution of dance since it´s ever been mentioned and its importance to human life at that time. The first part of the dissertation is concentrating on the history of dance in Bohemia and abroad. The chapters chart the time horizon of dance since antics till nowadays. In the highlighted periods of time it tries to elevate the meaning of dance form, which was characteristic for the actual period. The second part of the dissertation focuses on the meaning of dance as a free time activity and concentrates on recent trend {--} belly dance. The last part of the dissertation covers the meaning of dance as a therapeutic instrument in dance movement therapy.