The Worldview Sources of Bashkir Theater

The art of the Bashkir people, similarly to the art of all the peoples of the world, emerged in very early historical times and has its unique roots, which lead us into those remote times when the Bashkirs worshiped pagan gods, and all of their life was that of service to natural elements. These were the times when the great epos “Ural-batyr” was created, which in many ways has conditioned the worldview and world-perception of the Bashkir people during the course of many centuries. Particularly in the epic character of this work and in its pure, unadulterated, direct pathos lies the key to the romantically elevated Bashkir performing art. Frequently even presently, in the technological age of all-pervading mercenary self-interest, cold rationality and unlimited irony in national theater, in some performances a special style of pronunciation of the text as a type of epic singing is preserved. In any of the productions carried out by the Bashkir State Mazhit Gafuri Academic Theater of Drama — whether it be national, Russian or Western European classics or relevant contemporary dramaturgy — it always has the sound of the unusual, original, elevated, melodic, poetical intonation of speech, characteristic only to the Bashkir language. This peculiar intonation is an integral part (ancient, mythological, and archetypical) of the Bashkir consciousness and its product — the Bashkir language, in its sound and melody reminding heroic chants: strict, measured, not restless, maybe, at times harsh and at the same time soft. The language is an invaluable repository of people’s ancient culture and history. The Bashkir art of theatrical performance, which aspires towards capacious relief forms, parabolic, profound plot-generating meanings and epic melodiousness, is in many ways determined particularly by its mythological world perception. The latter is genetically intrinsic to the Bashkir people and is perceived by them as “a genuine and maximally concrete reality”. The worldview sources and folklore traditions make it possible for the Bashkir people to preserve their face and, keeping up with the time, to orient themselves on folklore traditions as the measure of things and the reference point in the constantly changing contemporary world. Therein is contained the unique sense of motion and development of the Bashkir theater: to be con-temporary (in tune with the times), but to base itself on the timeless and the eternal.