The Dance of Osman Taka is a popular traditional dance of Cham Albanians

Cham Albanians

Cham Albanians, or Chams , are a sub-group of Albanians who originally resided in the coastal region of Epirus in northwestern Greece, an area known among Albanians as Chameria. The Chams have their own peculiar cultural identity, which is a mixture of Albanian and Greek influences as well as many...

, which has become widely known in Albania

Albania

Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...

 and Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

. The Dance is linked with Osman Taka

Osman Taka

Osman Resul Taka was a well-known dancer of his time. After him is named the Dance of Osman Taka. His early life is not clear. He was born in Konispol in one of the most powerful and wealthy families of the town, the Taka family known also for Alush Taka a great patriot. During the mid 19th...

, a Cham Albanian leader, who fought against Ottoman forces. This dance is an old Cham Albanian dance, but under this name its known only since the 19th century.

The story

Osman Taka was one of the main contributors to the National Renaissance of Albania and a well-known dancer of his time. After him is named the Dance of Osman Taka. His early ages are not clear. He was born in Filiates

Filiates

Filiates is a town and a municipality in Thesprotia, Greece. It is located in the northernmost part of the prefecture, bordering western Ioannina Prefecture and southern Albania.-Municipality:...

 in one of the most powerful and wealthy families of the town. In 1848, he started an armed revolt against the Ottoman Empire

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 and became a protagonist in Albanian resistance against Ottoman forces. When the League of Prizren

League of Prizren

The League for the Defense of the Rights of the Albanian Nation commonly known as the League of Prizren was an Albanian political organization founded on 10 June 1878 in Prizren, in the Kosovo province of the Ottoman Empire....

 was formed he was named as the head of the local branch in Preveza

Preveza

Preveza is a town in the region of Epirus, northwestern Greece, located at the mouth of the Ambracian Gulf. It is the capital of the regional unit of Preveza, which is part of the region of Epirus. An immersed tunnel, completed in 2002 which runs between Preveza and Actium, connects the town...

. At the same time he was a well-known traditional dancer. After the Ottoman forces managed to seize the Preveza League, they arrested in 1886, Osman Taka and accused him for treason

Treason

In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...

.

Osman Taka was jailed in Yanina

Ioannina

Ioannina , often called Jannena within Greece, is the largest city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a population of 70,203 . It lies at an elevation of approximately 500 meters above sea level, on the western shore of lake Pamvotis . It is located within the Ioannina municipality, and is the...

 and was sentenced to death. When he was asked to give his final wish, he wanted to dance. The folk tradition says that his dance was so beautiful that the local gendarmes of the Ottoman army, did not executed him. After some days he was caught again and was killed in Konispol

Konispol

Konispol is the southernmost town in Albania. It sits one kilometer away from the Albanian-Greek border. The municipality consists of the town Konispol and the village Çiflik.The town's main interests are agriculture and viticulture...

.

The dance

The dance follows a strict tempo with emphasis in the "attitude, style and grace" of the dancer. It is a 2/4 meter with steps "slow-quick-quick". The dance is a row dance, with a lead dancer performing skillfully executed steps. He then drops to his knees, arches his back and extends his chest upward, forming a bridge. The other dancers then step forward onto the lead dancer's stomach and dance on top of his stomach. The dancers hold each other from the hands, bend 90 degrees upwards at the elbows. It takes a sturdy hand, especially if you are supporting the first or last person of the line. This symbolizes the strength and centrality of the lead dancer as he forms a bridge with his body for the other men to cross over.

In Albania and Greece

The dance it is known in both Albania and Greece, as a part of the Epirote music

Music of Epirus

The music of Epirus in the northwest of Greece contains folk songs that are mostly pentatonic and polyphonic, sung by both male and female singers. Distinctive songs include lament songs , shepherd's songs and drinking songs...

 in Greece and Cham music in Albania. In both countries the dance is primarily known as the Dance of Osman Taka, or Samantaka in Greece. This dance is supposed to have been the dance of the Souliotes. But, it is also known as 'Arvanitiko', 'Tsamiko', 'Himariotiko' and 'Klephtico' in Greece.