Nisiotika
Encyclopedia
Nisiotika is the name of the dances of Greek islands including a variety of Greek styles, played by ethnic Greeks in Greece
, Cyprus
, Australia, the United States and elsewhere.
Nisiotika, has a well known folk dance tradition, which comes from the dances
of ancient Greece
like: Syrtos
, Kalamatianos
and Sousta
. The lyre is the dominant folk instrument and other like klarino, violin
, askomandoura
with Greek characteristics vary widely. In the Aegean, the violin and the Cretan lyra are very widespread Greek musical instruments
.
Famous representative musicians and performers of Nisiotika include: Mariza Koch
as credited with reviving the field in the 1970s, Yiannis Parios, Domna Samiou
, the Konitopouloi family: including Giorgos Konitopoulos, Vangelis Konitopoulos, Eirini Konitopolou, Nasia and Stella Konitopoulou and other.
There are also, prominent elements of Cretan music on the Dodecanese Islands
and Cyclades
.
Greek folk dances of Nisiotika include:
Nisiotika is a significant aspect of Greek culture, both within Greece and in the diaspora.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, Australia, the United States and elsewhere.
Nisiotika, has a well known folk dance tradition, which comes from the dances
Greek dances
Greek dance is a very old tradition, being referred to by authors such as Plato, Aristotle, Plutarch and Lucian. There are different styles and interpretations from all of the islands and surrounding mainland areas. Each region formed its own choreography and style to fit in with their own ways...
of ancient Greece
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
like: Syrtos
Syrtos
Syrtos , is the collective name of a group of Greek folk dances. Syrtos, along with its relative kalamatianos, are the most popular dances throughout Greece and are frequently danced by the Greek diaspora worldwide. They are very popular in social gatherings, weddings and religious festivals...
, Kalamatianos
Kalamatianos
The Kalamatianós Dance is one of the best known dances of Greece. It is popular Greek folkdance throughout Greece, Cyprus and internationally and is often performed at many social gatherings worldwide. As is the case with most Greek folk dances, it is danced in circle with a counterclockwise...
and Sousta
Sousta
Sousta is the name of a folk dance in Cyprus and Crete which is danced in Greece and generally in the Balkans. The music is generally played with a lyre , laouto, and mandolin ....
. The lyre is the dominant folk instrument and other like klarino, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, askomandoura
Askomandoura
The askomandoura is a type of bagpipe played as a traditional instrument on the Greek island of Crete, similar to the tsampouna.Its use in Crete is attested in illustrations from the mid-15th Century.-External links:**...
with Greek characteristics vary widely. In the Aegean, the violin and the Cretan lyra are very widespread Greek musical instruments
Greek musical instruments
Greek musical instruments, were grouped under the general term of Lyre, all developments from the original construction of a tortoise shell with two branching horns, having also a cross piece to which the strings were attached.The strings varied in number from an original three to ten or even more...
.
Famous representative musicians and performers of Nisiotika include: Mariza Koch
Mariza Koch
Mariza Koch is a Greek folk music singer who has recorded many albums since starting her career in 1971. On the wider stage she is best remembered for representing her homeland at the Eurovision Song Contest 1976 with the song Panayia Mou, Panayia Mou. Mariza Koch was born in Athens in 1944 but...
as credited with reviving the field in the 1970s, Yiannis Parios, Domna Samiou
Domna Samiou
Domna Samiou , is a prominent Greek researcher and performer of Greek folk music.She received her first formal musical training from Simon Karas...
, the Konitopouloi family: including Giorgos Konitopoulos, Vangelis Konitopoulos, Eirini Konitopolou, Nasia and Stella Konitopoulou and other.
There are also, prominent elements of Cretan music on the Dodecanese Islands
Dodecanese
The Dodecanese are a group of 12 larger plus 150 smaller Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, of which 26 are inhabited. Τhis island group generally defines the eastern limit of the Sea of Crete. They belong to the Southern Sporades island group...
and Cyclades
Cyclades
The Cyclades is a Greek island group in the Aegean Sea, south-east of the mainland of Greece; and a former administrative prefecture of Greece. They are one of the island groups which constitute the Aegean archipelago. The name refers to the islands around the sacred island of Delos...
.
Greek folk dances of Nisiotika include:
- SyrtosSyrtosSyrtos , is the collective name of a group of Greek folk dances. Syrtos, along with its relative kalamatianos, are the most popular dances throughout Greece and are frequently danced by the Greek diaspora worldwide. They are very popular in social gatherings, weddings and religious festivals...
- SoustaSoustaSousta is the name of a folk dance in Cyprus and Crete which is danced in Greece and generally in the Balkans. The music is generally played with a lyre , laouto, and mandolin ....
- KalamatianosKalamatianosThe Kalamatianós Dance is one of the best known dances of Greece. It is popular Greek folkdance throughout Greece, Cyprus and internationally and is often performed at many social gatherings worldwide. As is the case with most Greek folk dances, it is danced in circle with a counterclockwise...
- KalamatianoKalamatianóKalamatianó is a type of Greek folk music associated with a dance sharing its name. Originating in the southern Greek port city of Kalamata, its most recognizable feature is its asymmetrical time signature of 7/8 time, meaning that there are seven beats per measure, generally subdivided into two...
- IkariotikosIkariotikosIkariotikos is a traditional dance and accompanying song originating by Ikaria a Greek island in the Aegean Sea, At first it was a very slow dance, but today Ikariotikos is a fast dance from Aegean islands . Some specialists say that the traditional Ikariotikos was slow and the quick "version" of...
- Pentozali
- LerikosLerikosLerikos is a traditional Greek circle dance. Participants hold hands at the shoulder level and dance in a counterclockwise direction.-See also:*Greek music*Greek dances*Sousta*Greek folk music*Pentozali*Syrtos*List of folk dances sorted by origin...
- AmorgouAmorgosAmorgos is the easternmost island of the Greek Cyclades island group, and the nearest island to the neighboring Dodecanese island group. Along with several neighboring islets, the largest of which is Nikouria Island, it comprises the municipality of Amorgos, which has a land area of...
- BallosBallosThe Ballos Sirtos , is one of the best known Greek folk island dances in Greece...
- KaravasNaxos (island)Naxos is a Greek island, the largest island in the Cyclades island group in the Aegean. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture....
- ParianosParosParos is an island of Greece in the central Aegean Sea. One of the Cyclades island group, it lies to the west of Naxos, from which it is separated by a channel about wide. It lies approximately south-east of Piraeus. The Municipality of Paros includes numerous uninhabited offshore islets...
- KythnouSyrtosSyrtos , is the collective name of a group of Greek folk dances. Syrtos, along with its relative kalamatianos, are the most popular dances throughout Greece and are frequently danced by the Greek diaspora worldwide. They are very popular in social gatherings, weddings and religious festivals...
- SerifouSyrtosSyrtos , is the collective name of a group of Greek folk dances. Syrtos, along with its relative kalamatianos, are the most popular dances throughout Greece and are frequently danced by the Greek diaspora worldwide. They are very popular in social gatherings, weddings and religious festivals...
- NaxouSyrtosSyrtos , is the collective name of a group of Greek folk dances. Syrtos, along with its relative kalamatianos, are the most popular dances throughout Greece and are frequently danced by the Greek diaspora worldwide. They are very popular in social gatherings, weddings and religious festivals...
- Sousta LerouSoustaSousta is the name of a folk dance in Cyprus and Crete which is danced in Greece and generally in the Balkans. The music is generally played with a lyre , laouto, and mandolin ....
- Sousta TilouSoustaSousta is the name of a folk dance in Cyprus and Crete which is danced in Greece and generally in the Balkans. The music is generally played with a lyre , laouto, and mandolin ....
- KamaraKamaraKamara may refer to:* Amara Kamara, American starting linebacker for Temple Owls* Alpha B. Kamara, Sierra Leonean 100m runner* Chris Kamara, English footballer player and commentator...
- PanagiaPanagiaPanagia , also transliterated Panayia or Panaghia, is one of the titles of Mary, the mother of Jesus, used especially in Orthodox Christianity....
- PidikhtosPidikhtosPidikhtos , is a Greek folk dance with Cretan origin, dancing in a circle formation. It is very widespread in Crete and the Greek islands.-References:...
- KalymnikosKalymnikosKalymnikos is a dance from the Greek island of Kalymnos in the Aegean Sea....
- MihanikosMihanikosMihanikos is a traditional dance from the Greek island of Kalymnos. It is typically only performed by men dancing in a line...
- TrataTrataThe Trata is a traditional commemorative dance performed every two years in Megara in Attica, Greece.On the Tuesday following Easter in every alternate year, the women of Megara take part the traditional dance known as the Trata on the open space before the tiny church known as Saint John the Dancer...
- Ai GeorgisAi GeorgisAi Georgis is a dance from the village of Nestani in Arkadia, a region of Greece in the Peloponnesus which takes its name from the mythological character Arcas. The dance is performed and danced on the feast day of St George usually after Easter Sunday.-Dance:...
Nisiotika is a significant aspect of Greek culture, both within Greece and in the diaspora.