Sirtaki and other Greek dances

Even Aristotle and Plato assured: all Greek dances have ancient roots. In every corner of hospitable Greece there is a dance style, and all of them - more than four thousand!

The most important are the Greek dances that originated on the islands (nisyotika). Each of them has not only its own movements. There is a whole history and deep meaning in it. The same can be said about the most famous dance of Greece - sirtaki, which became 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 60's. His choreography contained a certain mixture of folk dances under the names "chasaposervico" and "sirtos". It turns out that although sirtaki has become a real Greek symbol, in fact it is not purely a national Greek dance.

It was after the release of the film about the dance that sirtaki learned the whole world. The composer who wrote the music for the film was given an Oscar, and the author of the sirtaki himself was awarded the Order of Lenin. In New York, a dozen clubs appeared, where only Greek music was played, moreover, their visitors were not only Greeks. These were the times of the Beatles and Elvis Presley, but mostly young people listened to them. But Greek dances were to the liking of older people. It's amazing: at the first sounds of sirtaki they were animated and seemed to be young, rising from their places for an incendiary dance.

At the heart of sirtaki lies the mixing of rhythms - both fast and slow. Dancers are 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 become more and more sharp, fast, jump into jumps. In this music lies life itself, energy and youth.

Interestingly, in Peru, the melody of the dance can evoke a variety of emotions (depending on the political beliefs of the listener). After all, it is associated with the meeting of the founders of the famous movement "Shining Path", which has a radical left-wing orientation. On 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 has become obsolete long ago? It turns out that this Greek folk dance is still danced. For example, in November 2011 in France, the area of La Defense was filled with local residents and tourists. Together they gathered to perform sirtaki in support of Greece. At someone it turned out, at someone - not so, but the main thing - it was sincere and with all the heart!

Of course, sirtaki is not the only dance in Greece. Since ancient times, original Greek dances have come down to us with very original names: katsipadyanos, angalhastos, anoyanos pipichthos, apanomeritis, miracles, rumatiani susta and many others. Each of them has its own unique style and its own characteristics: one is inherent in improvisation and a sharp change of tempo, others - springiness and grace, the third - a slow pace with heavy strides. At the same time, dancers can sing and even play the guitar.

Truly, in the dance lies the real soul of Greece!