The Images of Dance in Polish and Ukrainian Illustrated Books for Children – Manners of Depiction and Functions

The article presents images of dance in Polish and Ukrainian picturebooks for children. The authors consider that motif of dance serves not only to present the culture and customs of a given society, but it is also a starting point to more profound, existential, and universal deliberations. Texts which are analyzed in the article show in a broader, psychological perspective of consideration, that dancing also represents experiences of a person and their emotions and have a special place in children’s subculture: it is a kind of play, gamble but above all it’s a ritualization of children’s behaviors, which is expressed in combination with music (a pattern of gestures and movement). The article illustrates a dance described in the literary text, to create visual images of a dance/dances, emphasizes rhythmicity of a poetic text, shows characters in motion, to enhance dynamism in the illustrations, presents shared happiness, unity or a happy ending and popularizes national culture. In conclusion article shows different functions of dance in literary texts and the pictures: 1). entertaining/ludic (includes comedy, humor, caricature portrayal of characters, strange poses of dancers); 2). emotive/ expressive (depictions of dance represent various emotions); 3). aesthetic – educational; 4). informative/cognitive.