Even Aristotle and Plato assured: all Greek dances have ancient roots. Every corner of hospitable Greece has its own dance style, and there are more than four thousand of them in total!
The most important are
Greek dances that originated on the islands (nisytika). Each of them has not only its own movements. It contains a whole story and deep meaning. The same can be said about the most famous dance of Greece - sirtaki, which has become a symbol of the country.
This dance was really born in Greece, it was created specifically for the film "Zorba the greek" ("Greek Zorba"), in the 60s. His choreography contained a mixture of folk dances under the names "Hasaposerviko" and "Sirtos". It turns out that, although the sirtaki has become a real Greek symbol, but in reality it is not a purely national Greek dance.
It was after the release of the film about dance that the whole world recognized sirtaki. The composer who wrote the music for the film received an Oscar, and the author of the sirtaki himself was awarded the
Order of Lenin. A dozen clubs appeared in New York, where they played only Greek music, and their visitors were not only Greeks. These were the times of the Beatles and Elvis Presley, but they were mostly listened to by young people. But Greek dances were to the liking of older people. An amazing thing: at the first sounds of the sirtaki they were revived and seemed to be getting younger, rising from their seats for an incendiary dance.
At the heart of sirtaki is a mixture of rhythms - both fast and slow. Dancers become in one line (less often - in a circle). Moreover, the hands of each of them lie on the shoulders of neighbors. The dance begins slowly, slowly and smoothly, gradually accelerating. Movements are becoming more and more sharp, faster, moving into jumps. In this music lies life itself, energy and youth.
Interestingly, in Peru, a dance melody can evoke a variety of emotions (depending on the political beliefs of the listener). After all, it is associated with a meeting of the founders of the famous Shining Path movement, which has an extremely left-wing orientation. In the video from this meeting, Abimael Guzman, the leader of the organization, selflessly dances sirtaki in a
national costume in the style of Mao Zedong.
Do you think that sirtaki is long out of date? It turns out that this Greek folk dance is still dancing. For example, in November 2011 in France, La Defense Square was filled with locals and tourists. Together they gathered to perform sirtaki in support of Greece. Someone did it, someone didn’t, but most importantly, it was sincere and from the heart!
Of course, sirtaki is far from the only dance of Greece. From ancient times, original Greek dances with very original names have come down to us: Katsipadyanos, Angalliastos, Anojanos pidihtos, Apanomeritis, Mikraki, Romanian Susta and many others. Each of them has its own unique style and its own characteristics: one is characterized by improvisation and a sharp change of pace, the other has springiness and grace, and the third has a slow pace with hard steps. At the same time, dancers can sing and even play the guitar.
Indeed, in dances lies the true soul of Greece!