Greece folk dance sirtaki. Greek dance sirtaki

You may not remember its name, but the melody to which sirtaki is performed, as well as the dance moves, probably everyone knows. Sirtaki seems like something originally Greek, ancient, ancient. Nevertheless, the dance, like the music for it, has quite real authors- and including Mexican-American Anthony Quinn.

"Zorba the Greek"

Sirtaki first appeared in final scene the film "Zorba the Greek", released in 1964. The film was based on the book of the same name by Nikos Kazantzakis and was directed by Michalis Cacoyannis.

According to the plot of the film, Basil, an Englishman, comes to Greece Greek origin, his goal is to receive the inheritance that was left to him in Crete. He meets Zorba, a cheerful and cavalier local who convinces Basil to go to the island together. And then the heroes have to face the mores of the Cretans, who are both hospitable and cruel, and all this is accompanied by Zorba’s infectious smile and his eccentric, impulsive actions.
The main role in the film was played by Anthony Quinn, who was nominated for an Oscar for it. Quinn taught his on-screen friend, and with him the whole world, to perform sirtaki.

Leg injury and choreography

At the end of the film, Zorba shows Basil how to dance the Greek dance. The movements were predetermined by chance: on the eve of filming the scene, Anthony Quinn severely injured his leg - so that he could not make any sudden movements, as well as jumping and swinging his legs.

“And I danced. I couldn't lift my leg up or down - the pain was unbearable - but I realized that I could drag it without much discomfort. Thus, I came up with a dance with an unusual sliding-pulling step. I extended my arms like in traditional Greek dances and shuffled across the sand.”
Quinn later said that he learned the dance from the Greeks, and it is called sirtaki. "Sirtaki" - diminutive form from “syrtos”, and this is exactly the name the ancient dance rhythm on Crete.
The music for the dance was written by composer Mikis Theodorakis.

National dance?

Now, half a century later, sirtaki is already so strongly associated with Greek culture that its history fades into the background. The dance is also performed in ancient Greek costumes, like a similar one old dance"hasapiko" - which was performed by warriors before the battle. Sirtaki dance standing in a line or in a circle, placing their straightened arms on the shoulders of their neighbors. The tempo of the dance gradually increases - from very slow and smooth movements to sudden jumps.

Interest in sirtaki does not fade. In 2012, a record was set - at a special event organized in Greek Thessaly, 5,164 participants danced sirtaki simultaneously. Therefore, the brainchild of Anthony Quinn and Mikis Theodorakis has fully earned the right to be considered a national one.

Sirtaki is a dance of Greek origin, but at the same time it is not folk. This is a unique action that has no equal even among the brightest. Firstly, sirtaki arose quickly and spontaneously, and immediately conquered the whole world. This is the dance of the film - after the release of the film “Zorba the Greek” the world learned about sirtaki, and people quickly picked up its rhythm. Secondly, sirtaki is perhaps the only dance that can be performed by maximum amount of people. The more performers there are in a dance, the more spectacular it becomes.

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Photo gallery: Sirtaki dance - the spirit of Greece in your home

History of sirtaki dance

Sirtaki is a fairly young Greek dance. It consists of fast and slow movements of the ancient Greek warrior dance Hasapiko, and was created in 1964 for the film Zorba the Greek. After the film was broadcast in many countries around the world, the views of the audience were riveted on this extraordinary and funny action. So the new movement began to be associated with Greece. Sirtaki's movements were created by choreographer Yorgos Provias, and the music was written by composer Mikis Theodorakis.

The history of the name and one of the main movements of this dance is very funny. In the movie "Zorba the Greek" main role played American actor Anthony Quinn. Filming of the scene when his hero Zorb had to teach Basil to dance on the beach was scheduled for the last day. But the day before, Quinn broke his leg. Filming had to be postponed until the day when the actor could do without a cast. Since Anthony Quinn was still prohibited from jumping and sudden movements written in the script, the actor found an unusual solution to the problem. Having promised director Michalis Kokoyannis that he could handle the scene, Quinn came up with a sand-sliding motion, which he complemented with raised arms.

When Kokoyannis asked the actor what kind of dance he was performing, Quinn joked that it was the Greek folk dance sirtaki, which one of the local residents taught him. The name “sirtaki” came to his mind by analogy with the Cretan dance sirtos. By the way, it is his steps that are present in modern sirtaki.

Video of Greek dance sirtaki

Everyone who has ever tried to dance sirtaki says that during the performance, a person completely forgets about the surroundings and simply enjoys the movements to the music, brought to the point of automatism. The beautiful action can be roughly divided into two parts: the first is slower and calmer, the second is already beginning to accelerate both in melody and in movements. This is explained quite simply. As we already mentioned, Quinn broke his leg and the first dance scenes were filmed when he could not yet move confidently. The second half of the sirtaki dance was filmed during the period when the actor moved freely and nothing bothered him. Accordingly, all movements began to be performed in more fast pace. Here we can already notice jumps and slight bounces during the dance.

Nowadays, you can often find sirtaki performers in national Greek costumes. One gets the impression that sirtaki is a Greek folk dance, but this is not so. It’s just that dressing up dancers like this serves as a presentation of the culture of Greece outside its borders.

Since sirtaki has existed for more than half a century, several variations of it have appeared, but main feature remained unchanged - a slow start and a gradual acceleration of the tempo. Sirtaki is a group dance, and is performed by people standing in one line or forming a circle. If there are quite a lot of people wanting to dance, then creating several lines of dancers is acceptable.

Sirtaki dance training

During the performance of sirtaki, hands are always placed on the shoulders of neighboring dancers on both sides. The upper parts of the dancers' bodies should be in contact with each other. well and basic movements performed only with the help of the legs. The steps must be well learned and brought to automaticity so that they are performed synchronously and at the same time. In addition, dancers are required to watch their hands, since breaking the line during the action is unacceptable.

The main movements of sirtaki are called as follows:

• Added steps.
• Lunges, or as they are popularly called, half squats.
• "Zigzag".

The most interesting and spectacular is the zigzag movement. It is performed like this: the dancers stand in one line and put their hands on the shoulders of their neighbors. Then, moving in a circle or from side to side, they seem to cross their legs in the process of rapid movement (running).

Sirtaki video lesson

Learning to dance sirtaki at an amateur level is not difficult. Many tourists can confirm this, because they themselves often take part in this dance while on vacation in Greece or simply while traveling around Crete.

It's actually enough to learn basic steps, which we mentioned above. An experienced performer, as a rule, is placed on the far right so that he loudly commands what movement should be performed next. And he is already followed by less experienced and newbies. If we're talking about When it comes to sirtaki on stage, here the performers simply memorize combinations of basic movements and bring them to the point of automatism, so that the action is as synchronous as possible.

Sirtaki lessons (watch the video) are in demand today. You can also learn the basics at home, and then polish your performance in a group with your friends.

If you don’t know what to do with your guests at your birthday or any other celebration, show them a few sirtaki moves, turn on the melody of a Greek dance - and good mood guaranteed for you and your guests!

I would like to return to the topic of folk dance, which I touched on in the story about which I visited.
I then looked with envy at the Greeks, who know how to dance their folk dances and learn this from childhood.

Is it true Lately even in ancient Greek folk dances, the movements became very similar: as a rule, the performance slow dancing the Greeks gradually combine it with fast ones, when all the dancers put their hands on each other’s shoulders and move in a circle, making rhythmic movements with their legs with jumps.

Dance performed by festival organizers and spectators.

But the most famous Greek dance is rightfully considered sirtaki. This dance has become business card Greece, it is eagerly danced by adults, children and all tourists vacationing in Greece.

Reflecting national characteristics and organically fitting into Greek culture, sirtaki became a unique symbol of this country. The mayor of Athens even once said that the Greeks live according to the sirtaki principle: a slow start, then faster and faster until they reach incredible speed.))

But not everyone knows that sirtaki is quite modern dance, which does not have deep folk roots at all.
Sirtaki was created in 1964 for the film “Zorba the Greek”. The music for it was written by Mikis Theodorakis, and the film's choreographer was Yorgos Provias. But the main credit for creating the famous Greek dance belongs to the American actor Anthony Quinn.

During the filming of the 1964 film Zorba the Greek, actor Anthony Quinn was required to perform a traditional Greek dance on the seashore. During filming, he broke his leg, and when the cast was removed, he could not perform fast and jumping movements.
The resourceful Quinn replaced the movements with slow and sliding ones, thanks to which the foot could be “dragged” along the sand. When asked by the director of the film, Michalis Kakoyannis, what this dance is called, Quinn, without blinking an eye, answered:

This is sirtaki. Folk dance. I was taught it by one of local residents.

To make it more convincing, the name was also coined in consonance with the existing Cretan dance sirtos. Sirtaki is “little sirtos”.

Sirtaki means “touch” in Greek and has similar features to the traditional Greek dance Hasapiko - the dance of butchers (warriors).
Hasapiko are just as slow, fairly monosyllabic and simple moves. Sirtaki gradually accelerates in the second part, where the nature of the movements changes significantly.
There is an explanation for this too. After all, the film "Zorbo" was filmed over a long period of time, so by the end of filming, Anthony Quinn could move without any restrictions. And he already performed the second part of the dance in the traditions of pidichtos - a Greek dance with jumps and jumps.

During the existence of sirtaki, a lot of variations of the dance have appeared, but its main features - a slow start, acceleration of the tempo from the beginning to the end of the dance - remain unchanged.

Sirtaki - group dance. Dancers stand in one line, less often in a circle. If there are many dancers, there may be several lines. Hands are extended and placed on the shoulders of neighbors, the bodies of the dancers touch at the top. The main movements are carried out with the legs.
The hands play a connecting role and should not be separated during the dance so that the line of dancers does not fall apart. Leg movements are synchronous and simultaneous.

The main movements are divided into 3 groups: side steps, half-squats and lunges, and zigzag. The last movement is most impressive when the dancers perform crossed movements with their legs and quickly, almost running, zigzag in a circle.

In many countries, Sirtaki really began to be perceived as Greek. national dance. The Greeks themselves also loved it and often call it “Zorba’s dance” - in honor of the main character.
And the American Queen, who played the role of Zorba, was even awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Greece.

Sometimes you can see sirtaki performed in Greek national costumes, but this is only as a tribute Greek culture generally.

Sirtaki is a wonderful example of the fact that even today it is possible to create a dance that will become a symbol of the unity of the nation.
So that it is not troubles and wars that contribute to the unity of the people, but dancing together in an embrace in the squares of cities and towns.))

Sirtaki is the youngest Greek dance, the history of which is worthy separate film. If you ask a tourist who has just returned from Greece what he remembers most, he will certainly name this dance style. What is remarkable about it and how did it come about? Find answers to these questions in our article.

What are sirtaki? Distinctive features dance

This is a Greek dance that arose in the 60s of the 20th century thanks to one resourceful American. But some of the origins of the style can still be traced to ancient culture Greece.

It is believed that this genre is based on three Greek dances.

• Hasapiko is an ancient dance of Greek warriors. Little historical information is known about this style. According to legend, hasapiko was danced by butchers at Easter, which is why it is often called the “butcher’s dance.” In addition, “kasap” is translated from Turkish as “meat merchant,” which again confirms the origin of the trend. Similar to sirtaki, hasapiko is the formation of dancers in rows, when all the dancers put their hands on each other’s shoulders.
• Hasaposerviko is a quick version of hasapiko. It occurred to the Serbs, who came to Byzantium around IX, to speed up the pace of the dance. Their contribution to the development of the genre can be seen in the name: hasapo servico. Otherwise, the dance is similar to its ancestor, hasapiko.
• Syrtos - true folk dance Greeks In modern terms this is whole group styles, uniting the cultures of various Greek regions. Sirtaki inherited slow steps from sirtos.

Can't wait to find out how sirtaki dance? IN general outline, it looks like this:

• a group of dancers stands in a row, because sirtaki do not dance alone;
• everyone puts their hands on the shoulders of their neighbor, thus forming a long chain of like-minded people;
• then the music sounds and the dancers begin to perform slow dance figures, gradually speeding up and reaching an apotheosis;
• basic movements: smooth, sliding steps, half-squats, sharp lunges and jumps. All steps are performed synchronously.

Now imagine the energy that is present on the dance floor when sirtaki is performed by 20 or 50 people! The dance pattern captivates and bewitches, making you admire the unity and friendship of the Greeks. But all this would be impossible without music. Let's talk about it in more detail.

History of sirtaki

"Stop! Cut!” - with these words Michalis Kakoyannis completed work on the film “Zorba the Greek” in 1964, not knowing what success awaited his work. But three Oscars out of 7 nominations pale in comparison with the love of audiences around the world for the sirtaki dance, which was first performed in this film.

Yes, the genre was born on film film set, and his father is considered to be the American actor Anthony Quinn, who played the role of Zorba. Thanks to him, or rather his broken leg, the dance entered the masses and became the hallmark of Greece. It happened as follows.

According to the script, Quinn was supposed to perform an ancient Greek dance on the seashore. He had to make quick and jumping movements. But before filming, the actor broke his leg, and the initial choreography was painful in the injured limb. We had to come up with something. And then Quinn replaced the fast movements with slow ones. Instead of jumping, he began to slide along the sand, making smooth and careful steps.

Michalis Cacoyannis, the film's director, was intrigued by the new dance and rushed to find out its name. “Sirtaki,” Quinn responded, referring to a local resident who allegedly acted as the actor’s teacher. It turns out that both the choreography and the name of the dance were invented by the main character of the film. Although regarding last moment there is another version. It says that a Frenchman who was present at the filming was involved in the name. He was interested in the question of the creators of the original Greek dance. They hastened to answer him that it is based on the most ancient dance of the Greeks, sirtos. The Frenchman instantly softened this name, turning it into sirtaki.

The end of filming marked the beginning of the popularity of the style among the local population and far beyond the borders of Greece. But before gaining fame, the dance had to “survive” heated debates during editing. The thing is that Cacoyannis wanted to change the music in the episode where Quinn dances. But the film crew unanimously decided to keep the melody of Mikis Theodorakis - it so accurately described the character of the Greek people.

“Zorba the Greek,” with its simple and straightforward melody, continued the era of “Greek excitement” that reigned in the 60s. Europe was already captivated by Melina's dance from the film "The Boys from Piraeus" when sirtaki appeared on the stage. They began to learn it in high circles around the world, becoming more and more imbued with Greek culture.

Dance also flourished in New York, where at the end of the 60s there were at least 10 clubs with Greek music. Not only Greeks were their frequent clients. Among those wishing to learn sirtaki were Marlon Brando, Van Heflin and other famous personalities.

Interestingly, the dance continued to be used in other Greek films. Thus, in the 1966 film “My Daughter is a Socialist” he is performed by Alika Vuyuklaki.

Sirtaki in a short time won the love of the Greeks and turned into National treasure. However, he has not lost this title to this day. Sirtaki and Greece are inseparable, although the dance has never been considered folk. This fact makes us wonder: why were the Greeks so inspired by his movements and music? The time has come to answer this question.

Sirtaki as a reflection of national character

Zorba the Greek was primarily filmed in Crete. The inhabitants of the island, as well as the entire population of Greece, lead a calm, measured lifestyle. They do everything slowly, without forcing events. This behavior is very reminiscent of the beginning of a sirtaki, filled with smooth movements.

But as soon as a Greek is asked to hurry up, he begins to fuss and fuss at the speed of light. At this moment, the connection between the Greek mentality and the accelerating tempo of sirtaki becomes clear.

Even the mayor of Athens, who held this post in the 60s, noted the similarity of the dance with the way of life of the Greeks. In his opinion, they are also slowly drawn into any business, gradually accelerating and reaching exorbitant speed.

So it turns out that sirtaki is a subtle understanding of psychology Greek character, translated into the language of dance and music. It's no wonder why the style has become a symbol of Greece.

Interesting Facts

• When watching the film “Zorba the Greek,” you will notice that Quinn dances sometimes fast and sometimes slowly. How is this possible if the actor had a broken leg? It's simple. In scenes with quick sirtaki performances, we see a stunt double, not Quinn.
• The popularity of the sirtaki dance brought Anthony Quinn not only fame, but also allowed him to become an honorary citizen of Greece. The actor received this title in the 90s. By the way, in total there were about 4 - 5 films in his career, including “Zorba the Greek,” in which he played the role of a Greek.

• Mikis Theodorakis, the author of sirtaki music, also received many honors. Thus, the USSR government awarded him the Order of Lenin. By the way, many residents of the post-Soviet space fondly remember sirtaki and participation in its group performance.
• In one of the interviews, when asked about the origin of sirtaki, Michalis Kakoyannis replied that Quinn was simply too lazy to learn the choreography. He did not mention any broken leg.
• One of sirtaki’s fans was Aristotle Onassis, a famous Greek entrepreneur and billionaire.
• In November 2011, the French took to the Place de la Défense in Paris to perform sirtaki en masse and support the Greek population in difficult times.
• August 31, 2012 on the embankment Greek city More than 6,000 dancers gathered for the hair. Their goal was to perform the longest sirtaki for the Guinness Book of Records. The collection of applications for participation continued for several months, and rehearsals lasted about 30 days. As a result, 5,612 people took part in the synchronized sirtaki, as recorded by the Guinness International Committee. By the way, 1,672 people were involved in setting the previous record. This happened in 2010 in Cyprus.
• A very negative attitude towards sirtaki has developed in Peru. The melody of the dance here is strongly associated with the leader of the Shining Path organization, Abimael Guzman. At one of the meetings, he performed the famous Greek dance, which brought negativity on the style of the Peruvians.
• In another way, sirtaki is called Zorba’s dance, in honor of the main character of the film, as well as the dance of friendship due to the atmosphere of unity on stage.
• In 1967, the musical film “Sirtaki” was released in Greece. The film is filled with love, romance and the desire to enjoy life, no matter what - something that is characteristic of the dance itself.
• Greek dance groups perform sirtaki in national costumes - chitons.

The best music for performing sirtaki

This is definitely "Zorba's Dance" Mikis Theodorakis. It is simply impossible to imagine a style without this musical accompaniment with an increasing tempo. Before writing the unofficial anthem of Greece, Mikis had to go through the Second world war and experience all the tortures of the Nazis while being captured.

The cruelty and heartlessness of the Germans did not break the friendly spirit of the young self-taught musician. After the war, he graduated from the Athens Conservatory and began to create. The main source of inspiration for Mikis was musical culture Krita. It was under her influence that he composed music for Zorba. The composer himself does not see anything remarkable in the melody, although he notes that it has a zest.

Zorba's dance (listen)

Mikis introduced fashion not only to sirtaki, but also to bouzouki. This is a plucked string instrument known in Greece since ancient times. It is the bouzouki that accompanies the dancers and sets the mood of the dance. This musical instrument There is even a separate holiday dedicated to it, which is called the Bouzouki holiday. They begin to celebrate it at midnight and enjoy Greek dancing to its sound until 3 - 4 in the morning.

The ancestors of the national Greek dance "Sirtaki" were the Cretan dances "Syrtos" and "Pidichtos". And few people know the amazing history of the origin of the Sirtaki dance. In fact, Sirtaki appeared not so long ago, in 1964, on the set of the film “Zorba The Greek” (based on the novel famous writer Nikos Kazantzakis). And the dance appeared, I must say, very spontaneously.

According to the film's script, it main character, played by Antony Quinn, was to demonstrate the national Greek dance to Basis. The beach scene was supposed to be quite short, about two minutes. Therefore, director Michael Cacoyannis faced the difficult task of finding a musician who would write the music for this scene, so that in two minutes he could convey all the energy of Greek dance and make one believe that this is truly a national dance. Kakoyannis entrusted such a difficult task to the Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis. And he coped with it brilliantly. The dance itself, which, by the way, was called “Zorba’s Dance,” was invented by Anthony Quinn. And to make it as similar as possible to Greek, Anthony Quinn personally trained dance techniques from the local population. And since the film was filmed entirely on the island of Crete, Quinn learned to dance the most popular national Cretan dances - Syrtos and Pidikhtos.

The dance, invented by Anthony Quinn, was literally glued together from Syrtos at the beginning of the dance and Pidikhtos in the second (fast) part of the dance. This is where the accelerating rhythm of the national Greek dance emerged, which became incredibly popular. But, if you compare Cretan dances and Sirtaki, it is clearly clear that they are not entirely similar. Cretan dances are energetic, with a lot of jumps and various steps performed by the dancers, which, in fact, is not the case in Sirtaki. And all this despite the fact that Quinn has mastered the techniques of local dances quite well and original version the dance he invented was very similar to the dynamic Cretan dances, although it was clean water improvisation. The fact is that before filming the scene on the beach, Anthony Quinn broke his leg, and over film crew there was a threat of being left without this scene altogether. But Quinn convinced director Michael Cacoyannis that he could dance "Zorba's Dance" even while performing complex leg kicks. Naturally, complex elements were never realized in dance, but the dance turned out to be original and attractive in its own way. After filming the scene, Anthony Quinn said that his leg hurt so much that it was impossible to lift it off the ground, much less jump or swing. But Quinn found a painless way to move his sore leg - he dragged it along the sand. This is where this smooth and sliding step to Sirtaki came from. The name “Sirtaki” was invented for the new dance by Anthony Quinn himself, and it came from the name of the dance “Sirtos” in a diminutive form. When Michael Cacoyannis asked him what kind of dance it was. Quinn sarcastically said that this is the Greek folk dance "Sirtaki", which one Greek taught him. In his answer, Quinn seemed to justify that he danced a dance that was still very different from what he would like to dance and what he learned from the locals. But a little time passed before the film “Zorba the Greek” was truly loved by the Greeks, and “Zorba’s Dance” touched the Greeks so much that it instantly became the most popular Greek dance and very soon was recognized at the legislative level as the national Greek dance. Throughout the world, “Zorba’s Dance” became known as the “Sirtaki” dance, and the dance itself became one of the main symbols of Greece.

Reference: Anthony Quinn - full name Antonio Rudolfo Oaxaca Quinn is an American actor, artist and writer of Mexican descent. Years of life: 04/21/1915 - 06/03/2001. Anthony Quinn won two Oscars for his roles in Viva Zapata and Lust for Life.