Plato in both the "Laws" and the "State" expresses his belief in the virtues of dance.
For him, a human being who cannot dance
is uneducated and unrefined, while an accomplished dancer is the epitome
of a cultured person.
"The national dances of a region are very
closely related to the traditions
and the way of life of these people.
Dancing provides a picture of the cultural level of a nation.
For example, the dances of people with low cultural level are characterized
by sexual elements
and the movements of the pelvis play a very important role in dancing.
Greek dances, on the other hand, neglect the pelvis and they elevate the
beauty and the plasticity of the human body."
C. Sachs
INTRODUCTION
HISTORY AND EVOLUTION
ANCIENT GREECE
BYZANTIUM
TURKISH OCCUPATION
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE
GREEK DANCES
MUSIC
CREDITS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INTRODUCTION
The study of folk dancing reveals important
information about the history and culture of people. Similarly, we learn
about Greeks, their history and way of life through the greek dances which
have been passed on, almost unchanged, from generation to generation up
to our days.
An example of a dance that has been known since
antiquity and has been passed to us, can be found at the myth of Theseus.
After Theseus killed the Minotaur at the labyrinth of Knossos, on his way
back to Athens, he stopped at Delos where he offered sacrifice to the gods
to thank them for saving him. During the sacrifice, he danced the dance
of the labyrinth or Geranos, as it is known in the ancient texts.
The story of Theseus is a myth. However, historians put this myth at the
time of the power of the Minoan civilization, that is more than 3000 years
ago. The interesting point is that the same dance is being danced in Peloponnesus
today (Tsakonikos), a fact which shows the continuity of the greek dancing
for thousands of years. Another interesting point is that similar dances
are danced all over Greece, even in Macedonia, the northern part of the
country.
This story shows that it is still possible
to compare the greek dances today with those described by the ancient Greek
authors and depicted on the ancient vases and friezes. Through the study
of dancing one can show that all the different races that made up the Greek
people, despite different occupations and influences, developed a common
civilization and character and they carried it over from generation to
generation up to our days. What a better proof of the above than the expressions
of our everyday lives, our customs, our dresses, our music and dancing?
In this presentation we will attempt to show
why dance is important to our cultural heritage. We will demonstrate it
by studying the evolution of Greek dancing through the ages, from antiquity
to today. Then we will talk about the characteristics of the Greek dances
and how they differ from the dances of areas in other parts of the world.
HISTORY AND EVOLUTION
Ancient times /Mythology
Ancient Greeks believed that dancing was invented
by the Gods and therefore they had associated it with their religious and
worshipping ceremonies. They believed that the Gods offered this gift to
some select mortals only, who in turn taught dancing to their fellow-men.
Greek mythology attributes the origin of dancing
to Rea who taught this art to Kourites in Crete. Kronos had dethroned his
father Uranus. Since he was afraid that he might also be dethroned by his
own children, he was eating them as soon as they were born. His wife Rea,
however, deceived Kronos when their last child Zeus was born. She hid Zeus
in a dark cave in Crete and instead, she gave a stone wrapped in swaddling
clothes to Kronos to eat. She also asked Kourites, who were armed half-gods,
to dance a war dance around the cave, shouting and striking their shields
with their swords, so that Kronos would not hear baby Zeus crying. When
later Zeus dethroned his father, Kourites became the priests in the new
world. Their decedents continued these war dances as part of their religious
ceremonies.
Since a large number of greek dances originated
from religious ceremonies, the above myth seems to have some historical
basis. In addition, many researchers agree that Greeks have taken some
dances from the Kourites in Crete.
Antiquity
Our information about dance in ancient Greece
is sufficient to enable us appreciate its role in the society but totally
inadequate for us to form any idea of how the dances were actually danced.
Apparently several texts existed describing dances, classifying them according
to type and explaining their provenance, but very few have survived and
these only from the late antiquity. They include Plutarch's "Banquet
Topics" (Themata Symposiou, 90 AD), Lucian's "Dialogue on Dance"
(160 AD), Athenaeus' "Deipnosophistae" (215 AD) and Nonnus' "Dionysiaca"
(500 AD). Phrases and names connected with dance, as well as references
to dance occasions occur sporadically in the works of Homer, Plato, Aristotle,
Plutarch, Xenophon, Aristophanes and the tragic poets.
The diverse facts gleaned from the texts are
supplemented by little information on the music and metre of the ancient
Greeks, by general knowledge about dance in other societies, as well as
by representations of dancers on vases and reliefs. Paintings and drawings
on pottery, murals, etc. have been preserved and reveal information on
dancing as well as objects that the dancers were holding while dancing,
their costumes, jewlery, etc. In general, however, this material is so
disjointed that it lends itself to a variety of hypotheses, interpretations
and conclusions. Only systematic and comprehensive research will shed light
on what is essentially an enigma.
The oldest Greek historical sources come from
Crete where an ancient civilization, the Minoan civilization, flourished
around 3000 - 1400 BC. According to these sources, the inhabitants of Crete
cultivated music, song and dance, as part of their religious life and for
their entertainment, as well. Sometime during the fifteenth century BC,
Crete was overrun by invaders from mainland Greece, and eventually it was
controlled by Mycenae. Many archaeological findings show that the rich
Cretan dancing tradition undoubtfully influenced Mycenaeans, who passed
these dances (along with other elements of their cultural and traditional
life) to mainland Greece.
Cretan dances
were performed in open or closed circles. Cretans were usually dancing
around a tree, an altar, or mystical objects in order to free themselves
from the evil. Later on, they used to dance around a singer or a musician.
Cretan sculptures illustrate dances in a circle around the lyre player,
couple dances connected with cults, and the close swaying dance performed
by large choruses of women in front of all people. Similar sculptures have
been found in mainland Greece and Cyprus and are dated around 1400 - 1050
BC.
ANCIENT GREECE
SOURCES FOR THE STUDY OF DANCING
The most useful and accurate information on
the origins of Greek dancing can be found in the works of Homer, Plato,
Aristoteles, Stravon, and many other writers of the ancient world. Through
their works, we get information on the music, steps, and the character
of several dances. The Greek authors describe how the people danced everywhere
in honour of gods on all festive and sorrowful occasions, and in order
to acquire physical fitness. Painters and sculptors have left records of
these activities on vases and friezes, as well. Dancing also played a large
part in the great tragedies enacted in the newly built theatres. Descriptions
of dances can be found in ancient texts, e.g.
Here young men and the most desired young girls
were dancing, linked, touching each other's wrists,
the girls in linen, in soft gowns....
Trained and adept, they circled there with ease
the way a potter sitting at his wheel
will give it a practice twirl between his palms
to see it run; or else, again, in lines
as though in ranks, they moved on one another:
magical dancing!....
The above excerpt is from Iliad and describes
a dance depicted on the shield of Achilles. Actually what Homer describes
here is the dance of Labyrinth. Similar excerpts in other texts give information
on the rhythm and basic character of a dance, on the body movements and
the music accompaniment, the basic steps and the sequence of figures in
a dance. In addition, epigraphs on columns, monuments, etc. refer to greek
dances.
Paintings
and drawings on pottery, murals, etc. reveal information on dancing as
well as on the costumes, jewlery and the objects the dancers were holding.
The illustration to the right shows the dance of the spoons (krovtala or
koutavlia) as it is shown in an ancient representation; a modern version
of this dance is still danced today among people coming from Cappadocia
. It is believed that the Spanish castanets have evolved from the wooden
spoons of the ancient Greeks who gave their dances and musical rhythms
to their colonies in the Mediterranean.
Even the names of the dances per se indicate the character of dances,
e.g. it seems that the dance epilinios, was danced on a wine-press
(lino = wine-press) while making the wine.
BYZANTIUM
The Christian religion prohibited most dancing
activities, mainly because they were associated with dancers and actors
who used to satirize the Church. There was also the memory of the dance
performed by Salome which was the cause of the beheading of St. John the
Forerunner . The Church was against them rather than against dancing. Dancing
was blamed only when it was associated to drunkenness and improper behavior.
Despite though the guidelines of the Church,
people were dancing on festive occasions. Throughout the byzantine years,
Christians were dancing on weddings, on the Days of Saints, on Easter and
the most important holidays; and they continued to dance through the Turkish
occupation until today.
Several images from the byzantine and meta-byzantine
dances have been saved on sculptures, miniatures, manuscripts but mainly
church murals in between religious subjects.
There
are instances recorded of people dancing inside
the church, at Easter and Christmas, the Patriarch Theophylactos having
granted his permission. In his book "Life and Culture of the Byzantines",
Phaidon Koukoules has assembled all known references to dance in texts
of that time. From these we learn that there were dances of women at Easter,
nocturnal satyrical dances in disguise at the Kalendes, dances by itinerant
bands of young men at Roussalia. There were certainly dances at weddings,
in taverns and in banquets. The wealthy invited professional harpists ,
youths and maidens to dance, being especially appreciated for their bodily
agility and deft footwork. Dance spectacles staged in the theatre in the
accompaniment of the flute and kithara are also mentioned.
In Constantinople, important events were celebrated
with large public dances. On the return of the victorious byzantine army,
for instance, the citizens thronged the streets, danced with the soldiers
and shouted in jubilation. Other times they danced and sang extemporized
songs, making fun of the emperor. The soldiers danced as part of their
drill and danced after manoeuvres for amusement. The charioteers danced
in the Hippodrome when they won their races and, according to Efstathios
of Thessaloniki, the sailors danced an unmanly dance, full of twists and
turns, as if imitating the spirals of the labyrinth.
Though we do not know the names of any byzantine
dances and have so few descriptions of them, we know that these were often
intertwined. The leader of the dance was called the koryphaios or
chorolektes and it was he who began the song and made sure that the circle
was maintained. Efstathios of Thessaloniki mentions a dance which commenced
in a circle and ended with the dancers facing one another. When not dancing
in a circle the dancers held their hands high or waved them to left and
right. They held cymbals -very like the zilia of today- or a kerchief in
their hands and their movements were emphasized by their long sleeves.
As they danced, they sang, either set songs or extemporized ones, sometimes
in unison, sometimes in refrain, repeating the verse sung by the lead dancer
. The onlookers joined in, clapping the rhythm or singing. Professional
singers, often the musicians themselves, composed lyrics to suit the occasion.
Byzantine instruments included the quitar, avlos single, double or multiple
flute, seistron , timpani drum, psaltirio , Sirigs , lira ,
cymbals , keras and kanonaki.
Some popular dances at that period were: Syrtos,
Geranos, Mantilia, Saximos, Pyrichios, Kordakas, etc. Some of these dances
had originated in the ancient times and they are still danced in some forms
even today.
TURKISH OCCUPATION
Even though available knowledge is limited,
we may presume that dance continued to evolve uninterrupted, fulfilling
the social needs of the Greek villagers. An analogy may be sought in the
maintenance of the language: though the Greeks lived alongside other people
under Ottoman rule, they continued to speak Greek, and so it was with their
dances which preserved their distinctiveness.
The dances of Ottoman-ruled Greece are described
in the accounts of contemporary foreign travellers, many of whom stopped
here en route for the Holy Land. Their impressions and observations, which
were invariably published upon returning home, are usually imbued with
an air of romanticism and a touch of the exotic.
As
far as Greece was concerned, comparison with ancient Greeks was inevitable
and runs through virtually every paragraph.
These testimonies should be treated with circumspection,
since some travellers were not averse to drawing on their imagination to
complete their accounts with things they did not actually see, while others
had no scruples in copying the accounts of previous visitors. Those who
did not speak Greek were apt to rely on the badly translated replies of
the first person they chanced upon.
Even so, the observations of these intrepid
voyagers are an invaluable source of information about this period.
During the Turkish occupation, new dances are
created to praise and commemorate the heroism of the Greeks and their desire
for independence and freedom. One example of such dances is the following:
Kaggeleftos
It is a historic dance commemorating the revolution
of Chalkidiki against Turks during the Turkish occupation. According to
the tradition, the greek revolutionaries were caught, led to the center
of the village, and commanded to form a chain holding each other. While
they were passing in front of the Turks, they were beheaded one-by-one.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GREEK DANCES
For the most part the steps performed in greek
dances are simple: stepping to the side, followed by a closing of the feet
together or a passing of one foot in front or behind the other, hopping,
pointing of toes, and occasionally a swing of the legs through the various
positions in the air accompanied by a hop or bend and stretch of the supporting
leg.
Until recently men and women seldom danced
together, although chains of men and women danced at the same time, the
chain formed by the women often being led and terminated by a man. The
few dances performed by women are very simple and most dignified; the ones
performed by men are often punctuated by feats of strength.
Another unusual feature is the rapidly changing
position of the dancers in relation to the line of dance. The dance usually
starts with the right foot and moves counter-clockwise. In the slower dances
this change usually occurs with every step, as in the Kalamatianos, in
which the dancer begins facing the center, turns his/her back to the line
of dance and then faces it, when performing his/her first three steps.
In quicker dances these changes are not so frequent.
However, the most important characteristic
of the Greek dance is its intimate relationship to the phrasing of the
words which accompany it. This intimacy was one of the great features governing
the expressive activities of the dancing chorus of the famous Greek tragedies.
The modern Greek folk dances fall into two
distinct categories: The restrained "shuffling" or "dragging"
dances (Syrtos) and the lively "leaping" dances (Pidichtos).
Both types are for the most part mixed group dances, circular and semicircular.
A few are danced in pairs, and fewer in solo.
The shuffling dances get their name
from the fact that the dancers move to the right or to the left with light
steps, without leaping. The shuffling dances provide the greatest variety
regarding steps, figures, names, melodies and rhythms. They also seem to
be the most ancient as may be seen in representations on ancient vases,
wall paintings and other historical sources. The most known of the shuffling
dances include: Nisiotikos (in the islands of Aegean), Haniotikos (from
Hania of Crete), Kalamatianos (Roumeli and Peloponnesus), Syrtos in three
or in two (Epirus and Macedonia), etc.
The leaping dances are named after the leaps
that characterize the movements of the dancers, especially the leader who
displays his dancing technique with a series of dazzling leaps, turns,
and fancy maneuvers. These dances originated on the ragged mountains of
Greece, require strength, lithe movement and are appropriately danced mainly
by men, though women take part in them as well. These dances vary according
to the circumstances in which they are danced. The most important ones
include: Pentozali, Malevyziotikos and Sousta in Crete, and Tsamikos (or
Klephtikos) in mainland Greece, with variations of it in Epirus, Central
Greece and Peloponnesus.
For a detailed description of Greek dances, visit The Hellenic Dance Info Page
MUSIC
Greek music is monophonic. Exceptions to this
rule is the music of the Ionian islands due to Western influence over the
last two hundred years. Another exception is an archaic form of polyphony
retained in the songs of Northern Epirus and the island of Karpathos, but
its origin is an ethnological enigma. The only form of accompaniment permitted
in authentic traditional music is the ison, a continual sound in the tonic
or subtonic of the melody (as in song), or at an interval of a fifth (as
on the lyra), common intervals in any musical system. There is no harmonic
accompaniment, as in the case of Western music.
Another trait of greek music, nowadays retained only in Arab music, is
that the scale is moveable; in other words, it is not the absolute pitch
of each note which is important but the interval between notes. In Western
music, the pitch of the note is fixed, which is why all instruments are
tuned with a tuning fork emitting a specific frequency of vibrations per
second. This is not necessary in Oriental music, where the instrument is
tuned to whatever pitch is desired, usually according to the singer�s voice.
This explains why polyphony and harmony are impossible to achieve in Oriental
music, and greater emphasis is placed on embellishing the melody, allowing
considerable latitude with regard to the pitch of the notes and the intervals
between them.
CREDITS
"...Nowhere else the Greeks' distinctive
character has been more completely expressed than in the choral dance.
When the Oriental peoples arrive at an art form of the choral dance, they
extract the ultimate from its ecstatic nature: the individual mind and
will of the dancer are extinguished, everything personal is wiped out,
and he moves in strict conformity like a puppet controlled by the strings
of an invisible master.
But when the Greek sculptors carved in marble the lineaments of a choral
dance, the observer admires the joyous rhythm which binds together, into
a harmony more than personal, movements that arise from an inner compulsion
and accord with the law of the dancer's own body."
C. Sachs
Research
on the History of Greek Dance,by Lena Patsidou
Editing, Page Design and Artwork
by Anna Mavromatis
This site is an on going project. Visit it often to see how it develops
Anna and Lena are members of
The
Hellenic Folk Dancing Group of Houston,
sponsored by
The
Hellenic Professional Society of Texas
Please e-mail any questions or comments to
MORE ON HELLENIC DANCES
The Hellenic
Dance Info Page
The Greek-American Folklore Society
WAYS TO SEARCH THE INTERNET...
World Wide Arts Resources The comprehensive arts registry on the WWW.
The Greek Indexer, Find your way in Cyberspace for Greek material.
Number of visitors since
May, 1996
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Joan Lawson, European Folk Dance, Pitman
Publishing, Bath, 1970.
Alkis Raftis, The world of Greek dance, Finedawn Publishers, Athens,
1987.
C. Sachs, World history of the dance, Norton, 1937.
G. A. Roumph, Hellinikoi Xoroi, To Oikonomiko, Athens, 1993.
A.P. Mpousioth, O xoros, Athens, 1979.
H. S. Dhma Hellinikoi Paradosiakoi Xoroi, Athens.
