The vocabulary of culture and art has many terms and words that came to us from other languages. Among them can be called the word "sirtaki". What are sirtaki? Where did this word come from? That's what we’ll talk about today.
Sirtaki as a term in art
This word came to us from Greece as the name of the national group Greek dance. Translated from the Greek language, the word means "touch." The dance is characterized by a gradual increase in tempo from a slow and calm to very mobile. This is the hallmark of Greek culture.
Sirtaki: The Story
Many mistakenly classify sirtaki dance as ancient folk dances. However, you will be surprised to learn that this dance is not at all folk, but completely original. And its author is the movie actor Anthony Quinn.
The second surprise for you will be that this dance was not Greek at all, but American, since Quinn is not Greek, but an American who starred in Greek director Michallis Kakkoyannis in 1964. True, the film concerned Greek themes. And the actor was supposed to perform Greek folk dance by the sea. But Queen broke his leg, and dancing a fast Greek dance was not just difficult for him - it was impossible. So he came up with a new dance based on the simple rhythmic movements of Greek folk dances to his slow version. The film was shot for a long time. During filming, Queen’s leg healed. And he was already able to perform the second part of the dance quickly. Music for Quirt Sirtaki’s dance was also written specifically in connection with the need. It was written for Greek Zorb by the Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis.
But what about the director, did he really not know that such a dance does not exist? Apparently, Kakkoyannis was very gullible, because he believed the arguments of the actor, who said that the locals told him about this dance. Has he really not checked with them what sirtaki is, is there really such a dance in the culture of the Greek people? It is possible that we will never find the answer to this question.
By the way, about the name of the dance. And it is attributed to Queen's fantasies: supposedly this is a "small" (reduced) version of the traditional Cretan dance of sirtos.
Sirtaki: execution technique
Most often, the sirtaki dance is performed by a group of people standing in one line and holding outstretched arms on the shoulders of their neighbors. It happens that part of the dance is performed in a circle, but, as a rule, this is an exception. If a large number of people participate in the dance, the dancers are arranged in several lines.
The dance is performed only with feet, while the bodies and hands of the dancing sirtaki remain motionless. With the help of strong hand grip, the participants of the dance keep the line of dance.
The rhythm of the dance is clear, by four quarters, and with a fast one by two quarters. Legs perform movements absolutely synchronously: traditional zigzag cross step, side steps, squats and half-squats, lunges. If we analyze the features of the movements used in the dance, the Greeks noticed that in the first part of the sirtaki dance, the traditional movements of the Cretan folk dance group Sirtos were used, and in the second - the fast part - elements of another group of Cretan dances - pidikhtos, including bouncing and jumping.
In order for the dance rhythm to be heard well during the performance, the dancing sirtaki put on special sandals with hard soles.
Types of modern sirtaki
One of the most common versions of sirtaki in modern Greece was born on the basis of the Athenian dance of Hasapiko. What does hasapiko and sirtaki have in common? First of all, music. Secondly, the linear form of dance. True, both dances do not imply the location of a large number of people in one line. There should be no more than three. If there are more dancers, then they line up in parallel lines. Thirdly, a number of movements, especially similar in the fast part of the dance.
There is a version that hasapiko was previously a military dance. It was used as a pantomime to prepare for battle and to teach silent combat operations, for example, approaching an enemy. And also conveyed the features of the battle by the Greeks.
The second version of sirtaki is zorbas, which consists not of two parts, but of three or four. All parts are characterized by a change in rhythm and pace. In the slow part of the movement, they are similar to sirtaki, and in the fast part - like hasapiko. Moreover, the movements in the course of the dance can be changed and combined by the dancers improvisingly, by transmitting the “impulse” to the neighbors with their shoulders: after all, their bodies are tightly pressed against each other.
There is another dance, very reminiscent of sirtaki - naftiko. Greek sailors dance him, and he is very reminiscent of a Russian bullseye. The original dance for naftiko was the old folk dance mackelarikos, from which the Hasapiko dance later grew.
Sirtaki today
What are sirtaki for the Greeks now? Now the Greeks like this dance so much that they revere it as equal to other national traditional dances and enjoy dancing it on holidays. Photo sirtaki presented in the article.
In the case when you need to introduce guests to Greek culture, it is performed in Greek national costumes.
Today, there are a large number of versions of sirtaki. The Greeks call the author of the dance Anthony Queen the Honorary Greek, and his dance is called the Zorba dance. And sirtaki dance not only in Greece, but also in many countries of the world. For example, in the United States back in the late 1960s, sirtaki performed in a number of night clubs. And in Russia, sirtaki is one of the brightest numbers of ballet theaters and dance ensembles, for example, the Moiseev ensemble, the Gzhel dance theater.
So what are sirtaki? For some, this is an amazing phenomenon of the dance culture of the 20th century, which has captured the whole world with its energy. For others, a way of ethnic self-identification. For the third - the opportunity to find like-minded people and share with them the positive charge received from a joint detachment from the surrounding reality and absolute immersion in the whole rhythm of the dance. What sirtaki is for you?