Monday 21 February 2011

Greek Dancing, opa!

OK let's start with some fun Greek dancing... 

Now, Greek dancing is very special and unique (as is the entire Greek culture, of course!) There are a variety of different dances and we have lovely funny little costumes we wear... It often varies depending on whether you are in Greece or Cyprus. In fact, before I go any further, if you are a non Greek, or a 'xeni', please get it out of your head right now that Cyprus is a Greek island. It is NOT. It is a separate country. 

OK now that we have that out of the way, here are some pictures of the dancing costumes. The first is one for the boys:


Yes, before you ask, they are in skirt type garments haha oh, and the arm and leg waving is a common dance move... just in case you were wondering whether they were about to cartwheel or something; they're not. Although they do manage to do some impressive high acrobatic leg kicks!

OK and for the fetching ladies:


... that pose is pretty much how they dance; hand on the hip and a few little dainty steps here and there. They don't do much but it wouldn't be the same without them there! Some of the dances actually tell a story and are actually very interesting but I may delve into all that in another post. There is just so much to say!

Another thing you need to know about dancing is that the Greeks always like to put on a show. So you may come across men showing off by balancing drinks on their heads... 


Amazing indeed.. Even that dude on the left is astounded! I've even seen people picking up tables with their teeth while someone is sitting on it... pretty cool stuff!

OK and to finish off and perhaps leading me into the next post maybe touching on weddings... I'll leave you with this food for thought (ooh or shall I write about Greek food next... hmmm)
Either way, check out this wedding picture. This epitomizes the importance of dance in the Greek culture. Not only do we seriously enjoy a boogie, but it becomes a huge celebration where money is thrown at the person dancing and often stuck onto a sweaty forehead...! Oh and lots of "opa" shouting at every opportunity!


NB. In case you're wondering, that money goes as a tip to the band, unless some cheeky little kids (or adults?!) run around scooping it up...!


What are your experiences of Greek dancing?



2 comments:

  1. In the lead up to our move to Cyprus it used to drive me crazy when people though we were moving to 'one of them Greek islands' , although I guess that was closer than the friend who kept getting it confused with Croatia!

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    Replies
    1. That's great to hear you moved to Cyprus! But yes, it can be frustrating when people call it a Greek island...! Gosh, even worse to hear they're thinking it's a completely different country!? Thanks for commenting!

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