Music, dance and storytellingEurope
Lezginka
In its own language: Лезгинка (Russian) · Лезги кьуьл (Lezgian)
A fast dance of the North Caucasus, solo or in pairs, named for the Lezgin people
The Lezginka is a dance kept across the North Caucasus and takes its name from the Lezgin people. One man may dance it alone, sometimes with a sword, or a man and a woman may dance as a pair who never touch, moving to a fast beat.
The Lezginka takes its name from the Lezgin people, and it is danced across the North Caucasus. A man may perform it alone, at times with a sword. A man and a woman may also dance it as a pair, and then they never touch. The beat is fast and the movements are sharp. The man's solo copies an eagle. The dance is known in Russia and Azerbaijan, and Khachaturian used it in a ballet.
What it is
People across the North Caucasus know this dance, and it carries the name of the Lezgin people. It comes in two forms. One is a solo for a man, and a sword is often in his hand. The other is danced by a man and a woman together. The tempo is quick, which sets the mood for everything the dancers do. Steps are short and exact. The arms and the upper body move with force. When two people dance as a pair, they stay apart and never hold each other. That distance is part of the dance.
Origins and history
Encyclopædia Britannica places the beginning of the Lezginka among the Lezgin people of the North Caucasus. The dance bears their name. In English the name also appears as Lezghinka. The material does not give a year or a century for its first performance. From that community it spread, and today it is performed in different parts of the region. In the twentieth century it also entered classical music. Aram Khachaturian wrote a ballet called Gayane in 1942, and a Lezginka is part of that score. What began as a village dance could then be heard in a concert hall.
How it is danced
A solo dancer holds the floor by himself. His model is the eagle. He goes down on his knees, springs back to standing, and keeps moving. The steps stay neat and small, and the arms and torso are used with strength and sudden force. A sword may be carried through the whole dance. In the pair version, the man and the woman share the floor without ever touching. Her part is calm. She looks on while he shows his skill, and her own steps are light and contained. The same fast beat runs under both dancers.
On stage and beyond
The sources name Azerbaijan and Russia, the two countries tied to the dance in the article. Ensembles from the Caucasus perform it, and a video of a Lezginka is credited to an Azerbaijani group called Suvar. No single town is given as its home, because it belongs to the region as a whole. Khachaturian's ballet carried the music to audiences with no link to the Caucasus, and listeners there met the dance through the orchestra rather than through the dancers.
How Lezginka is kept
A solo man dances, often with a sword in hand, imitating an eagle: he goes down onto his knees, comes back up, and moves with short, exact steps and forceful arms and body. In the pair version a man and a woman dance at the same time but never touch. She moves quietly, watching him as he performs. A fast beat drives both forms. The dance is performed by ensembles in the North Caucasus, and it also appears in staged and concert settings, including Khachaturian's ballet Gayane.
When and where
The Lezginka belongs to the North Caucasus. The article names Azerbaijan and Russia, and the dance is named for the Lezgin people of that region. It is known in many parts of the Caucasus rather than in a single town, and performances of it are credited to ensembles such as the Azerbaijani group Suvar.
What Lezginka means
The dance takes its name from the Lezgin people, so for them it is bound up with who they are. In the solo the man copies the eagle, and the bird's flight is the model for his kneeling and his rising. Strength and control are on show. In the pair form the woman holds her own place: the two dance near each other but never touch. When the piece moved into the concert hall, it carried a picture of the Caucasus to listeners who had never seen the dance at home.
Questions people ask about Lezginka
What is the Lezginka?
It is a folk dance of the North Caucasus, named for the Lezgin people. Britannica describes two forms: a male solo, often danced with a sword, and a couple dance. The rhythm is fast and the movements are sharp.
Where is it danced?
Across the North Caucasus. The article names Azerbaijan and Russia, and ensembles from the region perform it. A video of the dance is credited to the Azerbaijani group Suvar.
In the pair form, do the dancers touch?
No. When the Lezginka is danced as a pair, the man and the woman do not touch. She dances quietly and watches him as he performs his display. Each keeps a separate space.
Does the man always dance alone?
No. The solo is one form and the couple dance is another. In the solo a man may hold a sword, and he copies an eagle through kneeling steps and forceful arm movements.
Was music written for it?
The dance has its own fast rhythm. Aram Khachaturian also adapted it into classical music for his ballet Gayane, which was staged in 1942 and brought the piece to concert audiences.
See also
HalayA traditional line and circle folk dance kept across Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran, and Syria.
Georgian polyphonic singingSeveral voices at once, sung without instruments at Georgian feasts and weddings
NowruzThe Iranian new year at the March equinox, kept with fire, greenery and picnicsGood reading and sources
- Lezginka on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Lezginka", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryParampara rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.
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