Exposition guests chose the best lezginka performers

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On June 11, artists from the North Caucasus macroregion presented a lezginka tournament "Go, Russia!" to the guests of the International RUSSIA EXPO. Performers from Karachay-Cherkessia, Ingushetia, Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkaria competed for the audience's affection. The event was held as part of the cultural program of the Days of Regional Development "Space of the Future": North Caucasus Macroregion.

The participants of the tournament spoke about the national and cultural peculiarities of their regions in the universal language of music and dance, because, despite the common style, the approach to lezginka differs in many respects from one nation to the other.

The tournament was held in two stages. During the first stage the audience got acquainted with the participants - the Moscow Caucasian Dance Ensemble "Bart" (Republic of Ingushetia), the State Dance Ensemble "Elbrus" (Karachay-Cherkessia), the State Folklore-Ethnographic Dance Ensemble "Balkaria" (Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria) and the Folk Choreographic Ensemble "Echo of the Mountains" (Republic of Dagestan). In the second block of dance competitions - "Business Card" - each group showed one best number.

The spectators witnessed a theatrical action with national flavor. For example, the dance ensemble "Balkaria" presented an introduction dance "Women's Handkerchief" and a choreographic performance "The Tale of Nart Karashauai", which was inspired by the folk legend about the love of the fearless Nart warrior Karashauai and the beautiful Agunda.

The decisive criterion for choosing the winners was the strength of the audience applause, measured with the help of a special device - a noise meter. The unequivocal winner of the dance competition was the Bart Ensemble from the Republic of Ingushetia, which concluded the event with a colorful encore performance.

Lezginka is one of the most popular folk dances, widely known not only in Russia but also abroad. It is commonly danced both during family celebrations and on the professional stage. According to research, the history of the dance dates back to ancient times, when the peoples of the Caucasus performed rituals before hunting and battles, The name "lezginka" originated from the word "Lezgin", which in pre-revolutionary times mistakenly referred to all mountain dwellers of Dagestan. In turn, it is believed that the word "Lezgin" shares the same root as the word "lek" ("eagle"), which is why lezginka is often called the "eagle dance", symbolized by the male dancer. And in a paired lezginka, the female dancer becomes a "swan" - the symbolic prey of the "eagle".