Syrtos
Encyclopedia
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. Syrtos and kalamatianos use the same dance steps, but syrtos is in 4/4 time and the kalamatianos is in 7/8 time, organized in a slow (3 beat), quick (2 beat), quick (2 beat) rhythm.
Syrtos and kalamatianos are line dance
s, done with the dancers in a curving line holding hands, facing right. The dancer at the right end of the line is the leader. He may also be a solo performer, improvising showy twisting skillful moves as the rest of the line does the basic step. While he does this, the next dancer in line stops dancing and holds him up with a twisted handkerchief linking their hands, so he can turn and not fall down, as in the Antikristos. In some parts of syrtos, pairs of dancers hold a handkerchief
from its two sides.
and the word derives from the Greek verb "σύρω" (surō), "to draw, to drag". Kalamatianos, syrto-kalamatianos, syrtos Kefalonias, syrtos Makedonias, geragotikos syrtos, Cretan syrtos, syrtos Ikarias, syrtos koftos, Azizies syrto, syrtos Rodou etc. are some of the most popular syrtos dances. Syrtos is one of the most liked folk dances and music in Cyprus
, too. The word syrtos also, has been borrowed as sirto for some dances from the Pirin
region in Bulgaria
. It is easy to also observe the syrtos used in Turkish music, like syrtos Ikoniou, because Ottoman sultans enjoyed this Greek music form and composed songs in that form.
Each region, particularly the islands, have their own version of the dance. The common denominator is a chain of dancers, facing sideways and holding hands, moving to the dancer's right. The dancer at the right end of the line is the leader, who may lead intricate patterns while using a simple basic step.
Sometimes the leader is connected to the second in line via a scarf or handkerchief. In other variants all dancers are connected via handkerchiefs.
Rennell Rodd (1892) suggests that the dance is an imitation of the action of drawing in the seine net. It is considered the most ancient form of dance. C. T. Dimaras describes an inscription from the times of Caligula
, which implied that already at these times Syrtos was considered an ancient Greek dance of local tradition.
Nisiotikoi syrtoi include: Kalamatianos
, Sousta
, Syrtos from Ikaria
, Pentozali, Pidikhtos
, Rhoditikos, Syrtos from Symi, Skyrianos syrtos
, Maleviziotikos, Samiotikos syrtos, Syrtos from Andros
, Syrtos Chiotikos, Skopelitikos syrtos
, Syrtos from Paros, Syrtos Kithnou, Syrtos Naxou
, Zakynthinos syrtos
, Syrto Rodou, a dance very widespread in Greek islands and other.
, Epirus
and central Greece
. The name of the dance comes from the cut in tune/music. It is a faster syrto sta dyo style fun dance. When the music stops the dancers yell "Hey". When the music stops you also can put your arms up, down, or clap. It can also be danced going backwards and forwards or with partners. "Koftos" in Greek means to cut and the music cuts periodically. This is how the name came about.
." There are many variations to the dance; every village does it slightly differently. The choreography we use for performances has been developed for a specific piece of Cretan music.The movements of the Cretan Syrtos are calm, sober, and gentle. They constitute the respite before the battle, the resting of the soul, and calming
of thoughts. The Syrtos is danced in a manner reminiscent of a religious ceremony that expresses the mystical aspects of life and death, passion and grief of the Cretan spirit.
. "The black clothes (of mourning) are as heavy as iron..."A religious dance where the dancer expresses himself with figures mostly on the ground rather than on the air. The region of Kissamos in Chania
is considered by musicians and dancers as the source of the dance. We observe at the field researches that syrtos (as well as all Cretan dances) presents many variations from province to province and of course from prefecture to prefecture in Crete, a fact that brings out the richness of the music and dance tradition of Crete, but also the intense local expression of Cretans in all the aspects of their lives. We have recorded this dance at Kastelli of Kissamos
in Chania
.
, it has become a pan-Hellenic dance. The older, two-part syrtos botaitikos from Palaiopyrgos
(formerly Bodias) can also be done to this music. This older form of the dance, features men and women in two separate lines, the men behind the women. They merge into one line of mixed men and women and then back to the two lines, using the ancient chain hold that can be seen on ancient Greek vase paintings. The song tells of a young man meeting an old man and asking, "Where are the greens of the meadow, the water from the well?"
(now Istanbul
) in Asia Minor
. Constantinople was referred as "the city" (or "poli") because of its importance as a seat of culture and trade in the civilized world. Syrto (from the Greek word "syro" meaning to pull or, more accurately, to lead) is characterized by its slow-quick-quick rhythm within its 4/4 meter. There is also a similar dance, the Silivrianos Syrtos.
dance, with the steps of simple "syrtos" and the squat-steps of "sygkathistos", a syrtos dance widespread in Thessaly and Thrace.
.
i, in the Kerasounta/Giresun
region, this dance is called syrto, karshilidiko omal, lakhana (after the name of the song, which means cabbage), kerasountaiko or kotsikton kmal, widespread in Asia minor. It is a 9/8 rhythm and bears no resemblance to what we usually call syrto, which is usually either a 7/8 kalamatianos or 8/8 rhythm. In this case, the name most likely refers to the style, what we call dragging dances.
of the Balkans.The first part is identical to the Greek Kalamatianos
. Time 7/8, slow quick quick (SQQ), 3 + 2 + 2.
Other Cretan syrtoi include the dances of Kolympari, Selino
, Mesogea, Pervolia, Rethymniotikos
, Anogeia
, Syrto Rodinou, Sytros Thrakis, Prevezianikos Syrtos and Syrtos Mesogitikos.
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...
. Syrtos, along with its relative 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...
, are the most popular dances throughout Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and are frequently danced by the Greek diaspora
Diaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
worldwide. They are very popular in social gatherings, weddings and religious festivals. Syrtos and kalamatianos use the same dance steps, but syrtos is in 4/4 time and the kalamatianos is in 7/8 time, organized in a slow (3 beat), quick (2 beat), quick (2 beat) rhythm.
Syrtos and kalamatianos are line dance
Line dance
A line dance is a choreographed dance with a repeated sequence of steps in which a group of people dance in one or more lines or rows without regard for the gender of the individuals, all facing the same direction, and executing the steps at the same time. Line dancers are not in physical contact...
s, done with the dancers in a curving line holding hands, facing right. The dancer at the right end of the line is the leader. He may also be a solo performer, improvising showy twisting skillful moves as the rest of the line does the basic step. While he does this, the next dancer in line stops dancing and holds him up with a twisted handkerchief linking their hands, so he can turn and not fall down, as in the Antikristos. In some parts of syrtos, pairs of dancers hold a handkerchief
Handkerchief
A handkerchief , also called a handkercher or hanky, is a form of a kerchief, typically a hemmed square of thin fabric that can be carried in the pocket or purse, and which is intended for personal hygiene purposes such as wiping one's hands or face, or blowing one's nose...
from its two sides.
History
Syrtos is mentioned as a Greek traditional dance already in ancient GreeceAncient 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...
and the word derives from the Greek verb "σύρω" (surō), "to draw, to drag". Kalamatianos, syrto-kalamatianos, syrtos Kefalonias, syrtos Makedonias, geragotikos syrtos, Cretan syrtos, syrtos Ikarias, syrtos koftos, Azizies syrto, syrtos Rodou etc. are some of the most popular syrtos dances. Syrtos is one of the most liked folk dances and music in 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...
, too. The word syrtos also, has been borrowed as sirto for some dances from the Pirin
Pirin
The Pirin Mountains are a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria, with Vihren the highest peak, situated at . The range extends about 40 km northwest-southeast, and about 25 km wide. Most of the range is protected in the Pirin National Park...
region in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. It is easy to also observe the syrtos used in Turkish music, like syrtos Ikoniou, because Ottoman sultans enjoyed this Greek music form and composed songs in that form.
Regional variation
Sometimes the leader is connected to the second in line via a scarf or handkerchief. In other variants all dancers are connected via handkerchiefs.
Rennell Rodd (1892) suggests that the dance is an imitation of the action of drawing in the seine net. It is considered the most ancient form of dance. C. T. Dimaras describes an inscription from the times of Caligula
Caligula
Caligula , also known as Gaius, was Roman Emperor from 37 AD to 41 AD. Caligula was a member of the house of rulers conventionally known as the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Caligula's father Germanicus, the nephew and adopted son of Emperor Tiberius, was a very successful general and one of Rome's most...
, which implied that already at these times Syrtos was considered an ancient Greek dance of local tradition.
Syrto-kalamatianos
Kalamatianos syrtos and syrto-kalamatianos are the most popular Greek folkdance syrtoi in Greece, Cyprus and internationally. The steps of the Kalamatianos are the same as those of the Syrtos, but the latter is slower and more stately, its beat being an even 4/4. Traditionally, it was danced by segregated lines of men and women the lead dancer usually holds the second dancer by a handkerchief.Nisiotikoi syrtoi - Syrtoi from the Greek islands
Syrtoi from the islands orelse nisiotikoi, with the relative local Greek culture of the islands.Nisiotikoi syrtoi include: 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...
, 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 ....
, Syrtos from Ikaria
Ikariotikos
Ikariotikos 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, Pidikhtos
Pidikhtos
Pidikhtos , is a Greek folk dance with Cretan origin, dancing in a circle formation. It is very widespread in Crete and the Greek islands.-References:...
, Rhoditikos, Syrtos from Symi, Skyrianos syrtos
Skyros
Skyros is an island in Greece, the southernmost of the Sporades, an archipelago in the Aegean Sea. Around the 2nd millennium BC and slightly later, the island was known as The Island of the Magnetes where the Magnetes used to live and later Pelasgia and Dolopia and later Skyros...
, Maleviziotikos, Samiotikos syrtos, Syrtos from Andros
Andros
Andros, or Andro is the northernmost island of the Greek Cyclades archipelago, approximately south east of Euboea, and about north of Tinos. It is nearly long, and its greatest breadth is . Its surface is for the most part mountainous, with many fruitful and well-watered valleys. The area is...
, Syrtos Chiotikos, Skopelitikos syrtos
Skopelos
Skopelos , ancient Peparethos or Peparethus , is a Greek island in the western Aegean Sea. Skopelos is one of several islands which comprise the Northern Sporades island group. The island is located east of mainland Greece, northeast of the island of Euboea and is part of the Thessaly Periphery....
, Syrtos from Paros, Syrtos Kithnou, Syrtos Naxou
Naxos (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....
, Zakynthinos syrtos
Zakynthos
Zakynthos , also Zante, the other form often used in English and in Italian , is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands. It is also a separate regional unit of the Ionian Islands region, and the only municipality of the regional unit. It covers an area of ...
, Syrto Rodou, a dance very widespread in Greek islands and other.
Syrtos Koftos
Koftos is a Greek dance that is danced in the regions of: ThessalyThessaly
Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....
, Epirus
Epirus
The name Epirus, from the Greek "Ήπειρος" meaning continent may refer to:-Geographical:* Epirus - a historical and geographical region of the southwestern Balkans, straddling modern Greece and Albania...
and central Greece
Central Greece
Continental Greece or Central Greece , colloquially known as Roúmeli , is a geographical region of Greece. Its territory is divided into the administrative regions of Central Greece, Attica, and part of West Greece...
. The name of the dance comes from the cut in tune/music. It is a faster syrto sta dyo style fun dance. When the music stops the dancers yell "Hey". When the music stops you also can put your arms up, down, or clap. It can also be danced going backwards and forwards or with partners. "Koftos" in Greek means to cut and the music cuts periodically. This is how the name came about.
Cretan syrtos
Kritikos syrtos means "syrtos from CreteCrete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
." There are many variations to the dance; every village does it slightly differently. The choreography we use for performances has been developed for a specific piece of Cretan music.The movements of the Cretan Syrtos are calm, sober, and gentle. They constitute the respite before the battle, the resting of the soul, and calming
of thoughts. The Syrtos is danced in a manner reminiscent of a religious ceremony that expresses the mystical aspects of life and death, passion and grief of the Cretan spirit.
Syrtos Chaniotikos
The popular Syrtos Chaniotikos dance is danced to this song from the island of CreteCrete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
. "The black clothes (of mourning) are as heavy as iron..."A religious dance where the dancer expresses himself with figures mostly on the ground rather than on the air. The region of Kissamos in Chania
Chania
Chaniá , , also transliterated Chania, Hania, and Xania, older form Chanea and Venetian Canea, Ottoman Turkish خانيه Hanya) is the second largest city of Crete and the capital of the Chania peripheral unit...
is considered by musicians and dancers as the source of the dance. We observe at the field researches that syrtos (as well as all Cretan dances) presents many variations from province to province and of course from prefecture to prefecture in Crete, a fact that brings out the richness of the music and dance tradition of Crete, but also the intense local expression of Cretans in all the aspects of their lives. We have recorded this dance at Kastelli of Kissamos
Kissamos
Kissamos is a town and municipality in the west of the island of Crete, Greece. It is part of the Chania peripheral unit and of the former Kissamos Province which covers the northwest corner of the island. The city of Kissamos is also known as Kastelli-Kissamou and often known simply as Kastelli...
in Chania
Chania
Chaniá , , also transliterated Chania, Hania, and Xania, older form Chanea and Venetian Canea, Ottoman Turkish خانيه Hanya) is the second largest city of Crete and the capital of the Chania peripheral unit...
.
Chortarakia (Syrtos Botaitikos)
A syrtos from ArcadiaArcadia
Arcadia is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Peloponnese. It is situated in the central and eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. It takes its name from the mythological character Arcas. In Greek mythology, it was the home of the god Pan...
, it has become a pan-Hellenic dance. The older, two-part syrtos botaitikos from Palaiopyrgos
Palaiopyrgos (Arcadia)
Palaiopyrgos is a village in the municipal unit Levidi, Arcadia in Greece. Its mediaeval name was Bodia or Bodea. It is best known as the source of the syrtos botiakos, a popular variety of the syrtos dance.-History:...
(formerly Bodias) can also be done to this music. This older form of the dance, features men and women in two separate lines, the men behind the women. They merge into one line of mixed men and women and then back to the two lines, using the ancient chain hold that can be seen on ancient Greek vase paintings. The song tells of a young man meeting an old man and asking, "Where are the greens of the meadow, the water from the well?"
Politiko syrto
Politiko syrto is from the area of ConstantinopleConstantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
(now Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
) in Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
. Constantinople was referred as "the city" (or "poli") because of its importance as a seat of culture and trade in the civilized world. Syrto (from the Greek word "syro" meaning to pull or, more accurately, to lead) is characterized by its slow-quick-quick rhythm within its 4/4 meter. There is also a similar dance, the Silivrianos Syrtos.
Syrto Kefallinias
This dance is from the island of Kefallonia in the Ionian Sea. Although most of the Greek islands originally were under the control of the Ottoman Turks, Kefallonia was ruled by the Venetians for several centuries. Thus this dance has a springy, almost Italian quality.Syrtos Dance From Bornova (Bournovalios Syrtos)
This is danced to a song entitled Ti Tha Yino, Ego Me Sena ("What Shall I Become, I with You?"), the story of an erstwhile courtship:What am I to do with you Panayiotis? You’ve stolen my heart and youth. For three years now you’ve enslaved me and you’vetormented me, but I’ve got your game now, you liar, and know that you’ve no feelings for me. You come to my neighborhood to chat with me, and you come and go in my house and laugh behind everyone’s back. But you must know that my mother will not be ashamed to tell you that you’re a liar and a scoundrel. You better leave before she sees you, and face it, she’ll kick you out, Panayiotis. Then she’ll marry me off to someone else, and I’ll be freed from you, Panayiotis.
Syrtos Sinkathistos
Circle pidikhtosPidikhtos
Pidikhtos , is a Greek folk dance with Cretan origin, dancing in a circle formation. It is very widespread in Crete and the Greek islands.-References:...
dance, with the steps of simple "syrtos" and the squat-steps of "sygkathistos", a syrtos dance widespread in Thessaly and Thrace.
Syrtos Makedonias
Syrtos of Makedonia, is another one form of syrtos, danced in the region of MakedoniaMacedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
.
Syrtos Pileas
This dance is from a village in Macedonia called Pyleas. This is another dance Anna Efstathiou taught in February 1983. We call one of the variations "arm aloft," as dancers raise their arms rhythmically over their heads and back down again.Syrto Bafra
Also known as OmalOmal
The Omal was one of the first dances to be developed from the region of Pontos. It is a relaxed dance and is danced for long periods of time, usually preluding the tik dance. There are many different melodies for different songs; one of the most famous songs is "Serranda Mila Kokkina"...
i, in the Kerasounta/Giresun
Giresun
Giresun is the provincial capital of Giresun Province in the Black Sea Region of northeastern Turkey, about west of the city of Trabzon.-Etymology:...
region, this dance is called syrto, karshilidiko omal, lakhana (after the name of the song, which means cabbage), kerasountaiko or kotsikton kmal, widespread in Asia minor. It is a 9/8 rhythm and bears no resemblance to what we usually call syrto, which is usually either a 7/8 kalamatianos or 8/8 rhythm. In this case, the name most likely refers to the style, what we call dragging dances.
Pomasko Syrtos/Kalamatianos
This is a dance of the Muslim PomaksPomaks
Pomaks is a term used for a Slavic Muslim population native to some parts of Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo. The Pomaks speak Bulgarian as their native language, also referred to in Greece and Turkey as Pomak language, and some are fluent in Turkish,...
of the Balkans.The first part is identical to the Greek 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...
. Time 7/8, slow quick quick (SQQ), 3 + 2 + 2.
Other Syrtoi
Syrtos Tsirighetikos: This dance originated in the city of Chania in western Crete and is thus known on Crete as Chaniotikos.Other Cretan syrtoi include the dances of Kolympari, Selino
Selino
Selino Province is a province and historical region of Crete. It is located in the remote southwestern corner of the island, in Chania Prefecture. It is a rugged and remote area in the foothills of the Lefka Ori and also includes Gavdos, an island to the south of Crete considered the southernmost...
, Mesogea, Pervolia, Rethymniotikos
Rethymno
Rethymno is a city of approximately 40,000 people in Greece, the capital of Rethymno peripheral unit in the island of Crete. It was built in antiquity , even though was never a competitive Minoan centre...
, Anogeia
Anogeia
Anogeia is a municipality in the Rethymno peripheral unit, Crete, Greece. Population 2,507 .When exactly were Anogeia founded and by whom, is not accurately known...
, Syrto Rodinou, Sytros Thrakis, Prevezianikos Syrtos and Syrtos Mesogitikos.
See also
- Music of GreeceMusic of GreeceThe music of Greece is as diverse and celebrated as its history. Greek music separates into two parts: Greek traditional music and Byzantine music, with more eastern sounds...
- Greek dancesGreek dancesGreek 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...
- 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...
- TsamikoTsamikoThe Tsamiko is a popular traditional dance of Greece. The name literally means dance of the Chams. It is also known as Kleftikos , literally meaning dance of the Klephts .-The dance:...
- SirtakiSirtakiSirtaki or syrtaki is a popular dance of Greek origin, choreographed, by Giorgos Provias for the 1964 film Zorba the Greek. It is not a traditional Greek folkdance, but a mixture of the slow and fast versions of the hasapiko dance...
- OmalOmalThe Omal was one of the first dances to be developed from the region of Pontos. It is a relaxed dance and is danced for long periods of time, usually preluding the tik dance. There are many different melodies for different songs; one of the most famous songs is "Serranda Mila Kokkina"...
- Horon
External links
- http://paroutsas.jmc.gr/dances/index.htm
- http://www.dunav.org.il/dances/bulgaria/sirto.html
- http://www.dunav.org.il/dances/greece/syrto_bafra_omali.html
- http://www.greekfolkmusicanddance.com/bookdance.php