Exposition guests chose the best lezginka performers
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".
