title: The ‘Dance with Daggers’ as an Ethno-Marker of Adyghe Culture
metadata.name: dc.contributor.author
metadata.value: Sokolova, Alla N.
metadata.lang: -
metadata.name: dc.date.accessioned
metadata.value: 2021-03-31T13:18:47Z
metadata.lang: -
metadata.name: dc.date.available
metadata.value: 2021-03-31T13:18:47Z
metadata.lang: -
metadata.name: dc.date.issued
metadata.value: 2021-03
metadata.lang: -
metadata.name: dc.identifier.citation
metadata.value: Sokolova, Alla. “The ‘Dance with Daggers’ as an Ethno-Marker of Adyghe Culture”. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Arts 11, no. 1 (2021): 39–55.
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.identifier.other
metadata.value: https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu15.2021.103
metadata.lang: -
metadata.name: dc.identifier.uri
metadata.value: http://hdl.handle.net/11701/26994
metadata.lang: -
metadata.name: dc.description.abstract
metadata.value: This article reviews the history, semantic scope and meaning of the “dance with daggers”, which
  has survived today as a solo male stage number. The dance is becoming a very important part
  of academic dance concerts in the North Caucasus, and at the same time dancers with daggers
  are invited to traditional weddings and corporate parties. Сamechas (kъамэчIас) are identified
  as military sports and exercises, while also being a modern dance concert number with the
  same name. The military sport, circus and dance characteristics of this action are revealed in
  the article. It is proved that the dance is based on the demonstration of military merits, such as
  the ability to handle sharp knives freely and easily, to throw them at a target, to overcome any
  obstacles through high jumps, to keep a visible space in sight, to control the body gracefully
  and to conquer physical pain. In the history of the development of the dance, a multilayered
  literary text is formed that has mythological and ethno-informational codes. The meaning of
  using twelve daggers and a papakha (sheepskin hat), symbolizing intellect/reason and equal to
  any Caucasian man’s head is revealed. The movements on toes allowing one to “rise”, to be close
  to the gods and to conform to the contours of the mountain landscape, are comparable to the
  fine graceful movements of mountain animals using any stone or mound as support. Jumping,
  whirling, lunging, and manipulating with a large number of daggers are considered as signs that
  reveal deep ethnic values. The choreographic and musical component of the dance is analyzed
  as well as tricks that are included in the plot of the dance, allowing the performer to demonstrate
  traditional hand positions, certain steps, jump height, spin speed. The Western Adyghes have
  formed a stable musical composition for the “dance with daggers”, which consists of three tunes:
  “Dzherakai Zafak”, “Kabardinka” and an Ossetian melody arranged by the famous Adyghe accordionist
  Kim Tletseruk. “Gathering” music also symbolically represents the “dance with daggers”
  as a product and artistic practice of the entire Caucasus.
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.description.sponsorship
metadata.value: This work was supported by the Russian Federal Property Fund, project no. 20-012-00065 “Cultural
  diffusion of the Circassians of Turkey and Russia: art history and sociocultural analysis”.
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.language.iso
metadata.value: en
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.publisher
metadata.value: St Petersburg State University
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.relation.ispartofseries
metadata.value: Vestnik of St Petersburg University. Arts;Volume 11; Issue 1
metadata.lang: -
metadata.name: dc.subject
metadata.value: dance with daggers
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.subject
metadata.value: dancing tricks
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.subject
metadata.value: Caucasian dances
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.subject
metadata.value: solo male dance
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.subject
metadata.value: къамэчIас
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.title
metadata.value: The ‘Dance with Daggers’ as an Ethno-Marker of Adyghe Culture
metadata.lang: en_GB
metadata.name: dc.type
metadata.value: Article
metadata.lang: en_GB
resources.filename: 39-55.pdf
resources.url: https://dspace.spbu.ru/bitstream/11701/26994/1/39-55.pdf
resources.format: Adobe PDF
resources.size: 3,52 MB