Greek dance. Serra, Maherya and Sirtaki

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

In a person, the desire to move to the rhythms is inherent in nature. Everyone knows for themselves, having heard a melody, we instinctively begin to make dance steps.

Dances accompanied primitive man in all his significant events, starting from birth. Emotional impressions from the surrounding world resulted in movements in which a prayer was expressed for rain to fall and crops not to dry out, for fertility, for the healing of the sick.

Rock paintings tell that ritual dances were an integral part of the life of an ancient person. 4000 years ago in the East, various sacrifices were made with their help. Now Arab national dances, very plastic and beautiful, are widespread. Originally feminine, elegant and graceful, they help maintain he alth.

Dance, as a rule, has its own national basis. Many hours of dancing to the loud beat of drums with entering a trance in order to get rid of evil spirits - such rituals are still practiced in African countries.

In ancient Greece, the dance had the function of medicine for a person, with its help they correctedposture, relieved stress, improved digestion, increased appetite, normalized the emotional and psychological state and even cardiovascular activity.

In those ancient times, dances were divided into sacred, military, stage and social. Tradition says that ritual and ritual dances were transferred to Greece by Orpheus, having borrowed them from the Egyptians.

The military dances of the Pyrrhic Empire played a significant role in instilling courage in the younger generation, teaching young men patriotism. On the island of Crete, the tradition of holding festivals dedicated to the myths of Ancient Greece has been preserved.

Greek serra dance, or pirichios, shows the movements of warriors dressed in full ammunition in battle. In ancient times, it was performed at the Great and Small All-Athenian Games.

Another military Greek dance is maherya, usually performed by two men. Here is a knife fight. This is a real performance about two rivals. Expressive facial expressions depict the fighting spirit of warriors.

The popular Greek dance sirtaki has an unusual origin story. He appeared in 1964 during the filming of Zorba the Greek. American actor Anthony Quinn was supposed to dance in this film, but he broke his leg and couldn't bounce. His foot could only drag along the sand. The actor did not lose his head, he came up with movements that were convenient for himself and convinced the director that the real sirtaki dance is what he is now showing. So the slow part of the action was filmed, which subsequently, thanks tomovie, became famous all over the world as the "Zorba" dance.

Greek sirtaki dance is basically a version of hasapiko, an old butcher's dance. The Hasapiko dance until 1922 was popular in Constantinople and western Asia. It became the base for sirtaki, some movements, music, and the number of participants were transferred from it.

The world famous Greek dance written by composer Mikis Theodorakis is now a symbol of Greece and a tourist attraction.