Greek Dancing has become an activity that has helped guide me through my Greek American culture. It brings me closer to my Church, other Greek Americans, and to my American community. I belong to a Greek dance group, based in Atlanta, called Troupe Hellas,that has a long-standing tradition of being one of the best Greek dance troupes in the U.S. We practice in our Church's facilities with other members of our Church. Therefore, while we learn Greek folk dances we have fellowship with other Orthodox Christians. Furthermore, many of the dances have a reiligious meaning behind them. Best of all, we perform the dances we learn. Dancing has enabled us to meet with others who have a similiar love for their culture and express it through dancing. It has also taken us throughout the Southeast and will soon take us to other regions of the U.S. and the world.
All of the Greek folk dances are done for a specific reason, whether it is for celebration, mourning one's death, or for meeting a mate. Three of the more popular dances, performed throughout most of Greece, are the tsamiko, the kalamatiano, and the sousta. The tsamiko is a warrior's dance performed by men demonstrating strength and triumph. The kalamatiano, generally associated with happiness and celebration, is a circle dance performed by both men and women. The sousta can be danced as either a circle dance or as a partners dance. During the partners dance, the men and women are constantly flirting with each other. Women do turns while men show off with slaps and kicks.
Moreover, each region or Greece has its own set of dances and outfits, much like different regions of the U.S. You will see the regions of northern Greece wear more clothing and heavier clothing than the southern or island regions. Islanders generally were a shirt, a vest, and a vraka, that could be compared to the 'jam' shorts of the '80's. The outfit you see above is the traditional Greek outfit worn by soldiers. Each item of clothing symbolizes a different mood or event that is associated with that region of Greece. For a more detailed explanation of the history of Greek folk dancing and the symbolism behind it, check out the page of other Greek sites of interest. |
