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Zorbas dance: Traditional Greek dancing
Zorbas Dance restaurant is named after the 'traditional' dance of the outrageously extrovert and macho peasant character of Alexis Zorba from the famous 1964 cult classic film "Zorba the Greek" starring Anthony Quinn as Alexis.
Greek traditional dancing dates back to ancient Greece. It was closely related to religion, a way to express gratitude to the gods. There was a dance for almost every occasion, from a child born to a man who passed away. Over the years dancing became part of everyday life as a way of socializing and having a good time, but it was still religion based.
As the years passed the religious origins faded away and became a way of having fun, telling stories, and communicating from one part of the country to the other. There were stories of happy times and sad times, stories of war and times of peace. Many places had their trademark dance, which still occur today, giving cultural identity to every region.
Intrigued by so much history I started learning Greek traditional dances at the age of ten. It was a great experience as there is far more to learn than merely the steps of each dance. Every dance has a story, and you learn a lot about the culture of each place. The way dancers dress differs greatly. From mountain-side villages to seaside ports and islands too, there is a huge range of dancing costumes. Men have always had a more dominant role in dancing, although there are dances that are performed only by women.
Today, even though traditional dancing is considered a little old fashioned, it's still growing strong. Dances are still performed at weddings, christenings and other celebrations, sometimes in nightclubs too. It has become a fun part of everyday life. [author: Themistoklis Pentheroudakis]
Syrtaki - The dance of Zorba the Greek
Yes. It's the famous dance from the 1964 cult classic film "Zorba the Greek" starring Anthony Quinn and Alan Bates. The theme, "Syrtaki" by Mikis Theodorakis, is probably even better known.
We have listed the dance steps below incase you wish to practice a few moves before your visit.
Trivia: Anthony Quinn had a broken foot during filming. He couldn't perform the dance on the beach as scripted, which called for much leaping around. Instead, he did a slow shuffle. The director Michael Cacoyannis asked what the dance was, to which Quinn made up a name claiming it as traditional. [source: IMDB]
Zorba's dance steps
Reproduced by kind permission of the Greek Dances web site which has articles on traditional Greek dance steps.
Other traditional Greek dance steps explained.
| Step | Tempo | Basic step |
|---|---|---|
| Begin on left foot. | ||
| 1 | quick | Step forward on the left foot. |
| 2 | quick | Tap ball of right foot next to left heal. |
| 3 | quick | Swing right leg forward and kick it slightly forward. |
| 4 | quick | Repeat Step 3. |
| 5 | quick | Step behind left foot on the right foot. |
| 6 | quick | Kick left foot slightly forward. |
| 7 | quick | Repeat Step 5 using opposite footwork. |
| 8 | quick | Repeat Step 6 kicking with right foot. |
| 9 | quick | Step obliquely back to the Right on the right foot. |
| 10 | quick | Step to the Right on the left foot in-front of the right. |
| 11 | quick | Shift weight back onto the right foot. |
| 12 | quick | Swing left foot backwards brushing ball of left foot next to right as you swing past. |
| 13 | quick | Swing left foot forward brushing ball of left foot next to right as you swing past. |
| 14 | quick | Swing left foot backwards brushing ball of left foot next to right on the Right side as you swing past, thus crossing the right foot with the left. |
| Repeat as often as desired. | ||
| Step | Tempo | Basic step |
|---|---|---|
| In and Out. To the Left, to the Right, to the Left, ending in 3 squats, 1 forward, 1 backward, 1 forward. | ||
| slow | Preparatory step. Step forward on the left foot and | |
| A. In and Out to the Left. | ||
| 1 | quick | Swing right foot in a small arc around in-front of left and step right foot in-front of left. |
| 2 | quick | Step to the Left on the left foot. |
| 3 | quick | Step to the Left on the right foot behind left |
| 4 | quick | Step to the Left on the left foot. |
| 5 | slow | Step to the Left on the right foot in-front of left and |
| B. In and Out to the Right | ||
| Repeat A. Steps 1 through 5 to the Right using opposite footwork | ||
| C. In and Out to the Left. | ||
| Repeat A. Steps 1 through 5. Step C5 however, becomes Step D1 and ends in forward squat |
| Step | Tempo | Basic step |
|---|---|---|
| Forward Squat and Leaning Back. | ||
| slow | Preparatory step. Step forward on the left foot. | |
| 1 | slow | Swing right foot forward with knee bent, foot about one foot of ground. |
| 2 | slow | Step right foot in-front of left and squat. |
| 3 | slow | straighten up from squat, holding right foot forward as in Step 1. |
| 4 | slow | step diagonally backward on right foot, knee bent leaning backward with all weight on right and keeping left leg straight and in same position, heal on ground, toe off ground. |
| May be repeated once or twice. | ||