This is a presentation about traditional Greek dances, created for a Comenius project.

1. COMENIUS
PROJECT (2012-2014)
“I LOVE MY
GRANDPARENTS”
7TH
PRIMARY SCHOOL OF ARTA – GREECE * COMENIUS PROJECT 2012-2014

2. TRADITIONAL
GREEK DANCE
The dance, of all the arts, is the one that most
influences the soul. Dancing is divine in its nature and
is the gift of the gods.
Plato

3. The importance of dancing for the
Greeks
Greece is one of the few countries in the world where folk dances are as alive
today as they were in ancient times. Dance has always played an important
role in the life of a Greek. It is an expression of human feelings and everyday
life. The Greeks danced at religious festivals, ceremonies; they danced to
ensure fertility; to prepare for war and to celebrate victories; they danced at
weddings; to overcome depression and to cure physical illness. Almost every
dance has a story to tell.

4. Dance in Ancient Greece
In ancient Greece dance held a prominent place and enjoyed great respect. It
was regarded as one of the highest forms of art as it integrated perfectly the
body and soul. Along with music and poetry it was characteristic of someone
being cultivated and educated. Plato and Socrates agreed that every educated
man should know how to dance gracefully, by which they meant the manly
exercises that kept the body strong and supple and ready to do its duty on the
battlefield. The Pyrrhic, or weapon dance (a form of mock combat) taken from
Crete and perfected in Sparta, was the ideal.
6th
century BC

5. Dance in Modern Greece
Traditional dances in modern Greece are very diverse. Each area or village has
its own type of dance, which varies from region to region and even from
village to village.
Depending on their topic they are divided into:
 Religious
 War
 Romantic
Depending on the position of the dancers they are divided into:
 Facing – they dance being opposite each other
 Cyclical – they dance in an open circle
Depending on the gender they are divided into:
 Male
 Female
 Mixed

6. Characteristics of dances
Most dances are circle dances, start with the right foot and move counter-clockwise.
Dancers are linked by a handkerchief or by holding hands, wrists or shoulders. In mixed
dances, the man leads the dance, which allows him, in most regions, to express himself
by
improvising or breaking away. Until recently, men and women rarely danced together
although chains of men and women danced together at the same time, the women in the
inner circle and the men in the outer circle. The order of dance varies from region to
region. The men are commonly at the beginning in descending order of age, followed by
the women also ranked according to seniority. The oldest inhabitant always leads the
dance. Sometimes the married men/women come before the single ones. In the islands the
circle is usually formed of groups of families, the husband leads the wife who is followed
by the eldest son, his wife and their children etc. Occasionally the local priest will lead
the first dance symbolising a blessing. In older times a man never held a woman’s hand
but a handkerchief. This also applied to married couples. In some regions a woman could
not dance next to a man who was not family; therefore a child or an elderly would be
placed in between. Most women's dances are slow, simple and dignified whereas the

7. Naming of the dances
The names of the dances derive from:
 the name of the region where it is danced (Ikariotikos)
 the lyrics of the song that accompanies it (Zacharoula)
 the placing of the dancers (Antikristos)
 the handling of the dancers (Zonaradikos)
 the use of special objects (Mantilatos)
 the movements made (springing/dragging)

8. Regional characteristics
 Greece has 6 mainland regions: Epirus, Macedonia, Thrace, Thessaly,
Central Greece and Peloponnesus. In addition, the islands fall into 3 main
groups: the Ionian Islands to the west, the Aegean Islands to the east and
the Dodecanese Islands to the southwest. The largest of all the Greek
islands is Crete. Although Cyprus is an independent country, it is however
the largest island inhabited by Greeks and falls within the Greek major
cultural regions.
 Furthermore, areas previously inhabited by Greeks and which have
developed rich cultural identity and characteristic dances, today are no
longer part of Greece although the inhabitants of the majority of these
regions have found refuge in Greece itself. Examples are Constantinople,
Pontus, Cappadocia and Konya in Asia Minor.
 Greek dancing differs from region to region and its choreography and
movements very much depend on the morphology and the climate.

9. EPIRUS
 Formally united with Greece in 1913, it is especially rich in folk music. It is
rugged and mountainous and the steep gorges impose heavy garments and
boots, therefore dances from Epirus tend to be slow and heavy but danced
with immense dignity. A unique characteristic of the region is the polyphonic
singing.
 Their main instrument is the clarinet. The main dances are Sta Tria, Sta Duo,
Kalamatianos, Tsamikos, Zagorisios, Menousis, Koftos, Fisouni, Kentimeni
Podia, Pogonisios, Fezodervenayas, Vasilo Arhontissa and Yiatros.
Tsamikos:
celebration dance
after each battle or
victory

11. THESSALY
 United with Greece in 1881. This is mainly fertile plains for farming.
Thessaly retains a strong tradition of song-dances where the dancers sing
the music, often without instrumental accompaniment. The dances are slow
and controlled. The main dances are Sta Tria, Kalamatianos, Klistos,
Svarniara, Karagouna, Tai-Tai and Pilioritikos.

13. ROUMELI
 Roumelian dances tend to be slow and controlled. The clarinet is the main
instrument in this region. The main dances of this region are Kalamatianos,
Tsamikos, Sta Tria, Mazochtos and Kangeli.
Kalamatianos

15. PELOPONNESUS
 It was in Peloponnesus that in 1821 the struggle began to free Greece from
the Ottoman rule and is thus the oldest part of modern Greece as we know
it today. Their main dances are Kalamatianos, Tsakonikos, in which the
dancers curl up forming a labirynth, and Kariatidon.
Tsakonikos

17. MACEDONIA
 Formally united with Greece in 1913, Macedonia stretches from the north
east on the Aegean coast across to the north west to the Pindus mountains.
It is very mountainous with small valleys. Macedonia has an especially rich
folk culture. The variety is partly due to its geographical position where it
borders with the Balkans. The main dances are Gaida, Leventikos, Nikolos,
Akritikos, Baidouska, Partalos, Kastorianos, Omorfoula, Nizamikos, Sire
Sire, Boimitsa, Antikristos and Mikri Eleni.

19. THRACE
 Western Thrace was united with Greece in 1923. Eastern Thrace today
falls in Turkey and Bulgaria. Thrace is particularly rich in dancing with a
wide variation in hand holding positions. Their dances are lively and
generally energetic. The instruments common to this region are the bagpipe
(gaida) and the lyra. The most popular dances are Zonaradikos,
Souflioutouda, Aradiasteite sto horo, Kastrinos, Sfarlis, Syngathistos,
Podaraki, Stis Treis and Baintouska.
Zonaradikos

21. AEGEAN ISLANDS
 The music of these islands is very delightful and lyrical and as such
portrayed in its dances. These are characterised by the lightness of steps
and the springing in the knees. Most frequently danced are Ballos, Sirtos,
Hasapikos, Karsilamas, Sousta, Trata, Stavrotos, Chiotikos and Ikariotikos.

23. DODECANESE ISLANDS
 Dodecanese means the twelve islands. These islands were under Italian
rule between 1923 and 1944, then under British rule between 1944 and
1947. In 1948 they were finally reunited with Greece. Their music and
dance were influenced by the Cretans. Dances from this area include
Sirtos, Ballos, Issos and Sousta.
Ballos

25. IONIAN ISLANDS
 Also known as Eptanisa, meaning the seven islands, they were reunited with
Greece in 1864. These islands were highly influenced by Italy. The people
from Corfu are particularly musical. It is not uncommon to see organised
concerts in the main squares. The dances are graceful, flirtatious and
sometimes with erotic swaying of movement. Cephallonians are noted for
their humour which is portrayed in their dancing. Most frequently danced are
Sirtos Ai Yiogis, Fourlana, Ballos, Kerkyraikos,Thiakos and Tsirigotikos.

27. CRETE
 Reunited with Greece in 1913. Throughout history, this race is renowned for
its heroism. Their music and dance is dynamic and fast. Each Cretan dance
gives opportunity for each dancer to lead and improvise. A particular
characteristic of the Cretan dances is the springing movement of the dancers.
The Cretan lyre is the most distinctive instrument on this island. Their most
popular dances are Pentozalis, Maleviziotikos, Haniotikos, Laziotikos and
Sousta.

29. CYPRUS
 An island in the far Mediterranean sea with the majority of its inhabitants
of Greek origin, language, culture and traditions (82%) . It was a British
colony between 1878 and 1959. It became independent in 1960. Its music
and dance are quite distinctive. The most popular dances are men’s
Kartsilamadhes, women’s Kartsilamadhes, Sirtos, Zeimbekikos, Dachas
and Sousta.

31. PONTUS
 The region of Turkey on the eastern Black Sea, an area inhabited by
Greeks from ancient times till 1924. Pontiac music and dance is quite
distinctive. Its music and dance is easily recognised by its nervous energy,
their use of knee bends and unusual shoulder tremors, unique to Pontus.
The main dances are Tik, Omal, Kotsari, Kots, Trygona and Serra.

33. CAPPADOCIA
 Lies in present day central Turkey. It was an important centre of
Byzantium and the home to St Basil and St Gregory. It was one of the first
areas to fall under the Ottoman Empire and so their music and dance
traditions are the same as most of central Anatolia, e.g. the Spoon Dances.
They also have a tradition of ritual line dances closely associated with the
church calendar, e.g. Ayios Vasiliatikos. The other well known dance is
the Dance of the Scarves and Karsilamas.
Spoon dance

35. CONSTANTINOPLE
 It was in this area that three of the most popular dances often referred to as
Pan Hellenic dances originated. These are the Hasapikos, Karsilamas and
Zeimbekikos.
Hasapikos