Abstract
<jats:p>The purpose of the study is to develop a comprehensive model for analyzing Lezginka as a form of intangible cultural heritage, in which dance plasticity, festive ritual, intergenerational transmission, collective identity and cultural policy are considered as interrelated dimensions. The article clarifies the concept of Lezginka as a family of related Caucasian dance practices and examines its rhythm, gesture, posture, spatial pattern, partnering, improvisation, costume, musical basis, and ritual-everyday, stage and digital environments of existence. The scholarly contribution lies in the proposed four-level model of analyzing Lezginka, the concept of Lezginka’s kinesio-cultural grammar, and the principle of managed variability; an applied model for documenting and safeguarding the dance is distinguished separately. The study shows that safeguarding Lezginka requires documenting not only movements but also performance context: occasion, participants, rules of public behavior, musical situation, modes of teaching and community evaluation.</jats:p>