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Greek Dancing
What Greek Dance is About
Greek dancing is a direct expression of feelings and sentiments for the Greek culture. These traditional dances
have changed very little since ancient times. — Imagine this, a circle of people holding hands and moving
in a counter-clockwise direction. The leader often performs more intricate steps while the other dancers do the
basic steps. The main characteristic of Greek dances is the great diversity of rhythm, and most of the dances take
their names from the regions from which they originate. Greek children are taught from a very early age and most
participate in dance groups through high school.
Types of Greek Dances
HASAPIKO: Comes from the union of butchers in Constantinople – it has become the best known Greek dance since the movie "Zorba the Greek".
PENTOZALI: Originally from Crete – the name comes from the Greek words "pente" and"zala" which means five steps.
KALAMATIANOS: The name comes from a song about Kalamata – the first area to be
liberated in the Greek Revolution of 1821.
TSAMIKO: This is traditional a man's dance and the best chance for a Greek dancer to
show off his acrobatic skills.
ZEIBEKIKO: This is a solo improvisational dance of expression.
Enjoy dance presentations on Saturday and Sunday by Saint Anthony's award winning groups
- Filarakia
- Ta Asterakia
- Terpsichoreans
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