History of sirtaki dance. What are sirtaki? Greek dance of American origin

In the vocabulary of culture and art there are many terms and words that came to us from other languages. Among them one can name the word “sirtaki”. What is "sirtaki"? Where did this word come to us from? This is what we will talk about today.

Sirtaki as a term in art

This word came to us from Greece as the name of the national group Greek dance. Translated from Greek language the word means "touch". The dance is characterized by a gradual increase in tempo from slow and calm to very active. This is the hallmark of Greek culture.

Sirtaki: history

Many people mistakenly classify the sirtaki dance as an ancient folk dance. However, you will be surprised to learn that this dance is not folk at all, but completely original. And its author is film actor Anthony Quinn.

The second surprise for you will be that this dance is not originally Greek at all, but American, since Queen is not Greek, but an American, who starred in 1964 with the Greek director Mihallis Kakkoyannis. True, the film dealt with Greek themes. And the actor had to perform a Greek folk dance by the sea. But Quinn broke his leg, and it was not just difficult for him to dance a fast Greek dance - it was impossible. So he came up with a new dance based on the simple rhythmic movements of Greek folk dances with his own slow version. The film took a long time to shoot. During filming, Quinn's leg healed. And he was already able to perform the second part of the dance quickly. The music for Quina's sirtaki dance was also written specifically in response to the need. It was written for "Zorba the Greek" by the Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis.

But what about the director, did he really not know that such a dance does not exist? Apparently, Kakkoyannis was very trusting, because he believed the arguments of the actor, who said that local residents told him about this dance. Didn’t he really double-check with them what sirtaki is, whether there really is such a dance in the culture of the Greek people? It is possible that we will never find the answer to this question.

By the way, about the name of the dance. And it is attributed to Quinn's imagination: supposedly this is a “small” (smaller) version of the traditional Cretan dance sirtos.

Sirtaki: performance technique

Most often, the sirtaki dance is performed by a group of people standing in one line and holding their neighbors’ shoulders with outstretched arms. It happens that part of the dance is performed in a circle, but, as a rule, this is an exception. If a large number of people participate in the dance, the dancers are arranged in several lines.

The dance is performed only with the legs, and the body and arms of the sirtaki dancers remain motionless. With the help of a strong grip of hands, the dance participants maintain the line of dance.

The rhythm of the dance is clear, four quarters, and if fast, two quarters. The legs perform movements absolutely synchronously: the traditional zigzag cross step, side steps, squats and half-squats, lunges. If we analyze the features of the movements used in the dance, the Greeks noticed that in the first part of the Sirtaki dance the traditional movements of the folk Cretan dance group Sirtos were used, and in the second, fast part, elements of another group of Cretan dances - pidichtos, including jumping and jumping.

To ensure that the rhythm of the dance can be clearly heard during performance, dancing sirtaki wear special sandals with hard soles on their feet.

Types of modern sirtaki

One of the most common variants of sirtaki in modern Greece was born on the basis of the Athenian dance Hasapiko. What do hasapiko and sirtaki have in common? Firstly, the music. Secondly, the linear form of dance. True, both dances do not require a large number of people to be placed in one line. There should be no more than three. If there are more dancers, then they line up parallel lines. Third, whole line movements, especially similar in the fast part of the dance.

There is a version that hasapiko was previously a war dance. It was used as a pantomime to prepare for battle and to teach silent combat actions, such as approaching the enemy. He also conveyed the peculiarities of combat by the Greeks.

The second version of sirtaki is zorbas, which consists not of two parts, but of three or four. All parts are characterized by changes in rhythm and tempo. In the slow part the movements are similar to sirtaki, and in the fast part they are similar to hasapiko. Moreover, movements during the dance can be changed and combined by the dancers improvisationally, by transferring the “impulse” to neighbors with their shoulders: after all, their bodies are tightly pressed to each other.

There is another dance that is very reminiscent of sirtaki - naftiko. It is danced by Greek sailors, and it is very reminiscent of a Russian apple. The original dance for naftiko was the ancient folk dance Makkelarikos, from which the hasapiko dance later grew.

Sirtaki today

What is sirtaki for the Greeks now? Now the Greeks like this dance so much that they consider it equal to other national dances. traditional dances and dance it with pleasure at holidays. Photos of sirtaki are presented in the article.

When you need to introduce guests to Greek culture, it is performed in Greek national costumes.

Today there is a large number of variants of sirtaki execution. The Greeks call the author of the dance the Honorable Greek, and his dance is the dance of Zorba. And sirtaki is danced not only in Greece, but also in many countries around the world. For example, in the USA, back in the late 1960s, sirtaki were performed in a number of nightclubs. And in Russia sirtaki is one of the the brightest numbers ballet theaters and dance ensembles, for example, the Moiseev Ensemble, the Gzhel Dance Theater.

So what are sirtaki? For some, this is an amazing phenomenon of dance culture of the 20th century, which captured the whole world with its energy. For others, it is a way of ethnic self-identification. For still others, it is an opportunity to find like-minded people and share with them the positive charge received from a joint renunciation of surrounding reality and absolute immersion in the completely encompassing rhythm of the dance. What do sirtaki mean to you?

A spectacle, a pleasure, a means of communication, gymnastics - these are just a few things that can be used to characterize the word “dance” - it helps to better understand the culture of its bearer and brings people together. Dance ensemble"Pontos" of the "Krasnodar Society of Greeks" under the leadership of Polikhranidi Anastasia for 15 years (in different compositions), actively participates in the life of society, the city and the region.

If you ask a tourist going on vacation to Greece if he knows any Greek dance, he will answer without doubt that it is Sirtaki. Moreover, everyone has probably tried to perform it at some point, because Sirtaki is a dance that will not leave anyone indifferent; after hearing the fiery rhythms, everyone wants to start dancing! Therefore, Sirtaki is called a symbol and business card sunny Greece.

Today we want to tell you about the history of this wonderful Greek dance.

How did the sirtaki dance appear? What does this name mean? Why is it also called “Zorba’s Dance”? We'll try to answer! Sirtaki is a relatively young dance; it has never been a folk dance, although it is very often considered as such. It was created in 1964 for the film Zorba the Greek by Michalis Kokoyannis, the music for which was written by the famous Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis.

After the release of the film, Sirtaki became the most popular Greek dance in the world, and a real symbol of Greece. In his memoirs, who played in the film “Zorba the Greek” main role American Anthony Quinn recalls that the final scene, in which Alexis Zorba teaches Basil to dance on the beach, was supposed to be filmed on the very last day. However, the day before, Quinn broke his leg. When filming resumed a few days later, Quinn was able to do without the cast, but he was unable to dance as required by the script.

Quinn recalls: “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.” Cacoyannis subsequently asked him what the name of this dance was. Quinn replied: “This is Sirtaki. Folk dance. One of the locals taught it to me.”

Yes, with light hand 100% American, the most popular Greek dance, Sirtaki, was born! Quinn was not lying, the dance he performed could not appear on its own, it became a combination of slow and fast versions of Greek folk dances - the slow “syrtos” and another Cretan folk dance- “pidikhtos”, lively and rhythmic. Indeed, sirtaki begins, like sirtos, slowly, and then gradually becomes more lively and energetic. Several people dance sirtaki, placing their hands on the shoulders of their neighbors to the left and right. They start with slow, smooth movements and gradually move on to fast and sharp ones, sometimes with jumps and jerks. Sirtaki also contains elements of Hasapiko, an ancient butcher's guild dance that was very popular in Constantinople and western Asia until the early 20th century.

As for the word “sirtaki” itself, it is based on the name of the Cretan dance, and translated from Greek “sirtaki” means touch, which is also its integral characteristic.
New dance became a symbiosis of two choreographic directions and a vivid expression of the national Greek character. It is no coincidence that the mayor of Athens once said: “The Greeks live by the sirtaki principle: they start (any business) slowly, then faster and faster, and, in the end, reach incredible speed.”

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 film set 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 music for this scene, so that in two minutes he would be able to convey all the energy of Greek dance and make one believe that it was real. 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 entirely shot 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 big amount jumps and various steps performed by dancers, which actually does not exist in Sirtaki. And all this despite the fact that Quinn mastered the technique of local dances quite well and the original version of 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 - American actor, artist and writer 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.

Dancers performing sirtaki claim that in the process of dancing, the surrounding ceases to exist, all that remains is the movement, reaching the point of automatism, and the rhythm, captivating, bewitching and not allowing you to stop.

Sirtaki is often considered the hallmark of Greece, although this dance is not a folk dance. Reflecting national characteristics and organically fitting into Greek culture, sirtaki became a unique symbol of this country. The mayor of the city of Athens once expressed the idea that the Greeks have a sirtaki principle in life: a slow start, then faster and faster until they reach incredible speed.

History of origin

During the filming of the 1964 film “Zorba the Greek,” American actor Anthony Quinn had to perform a traditional Greek dance on the seashore. During filming, he broke his leg, and when the cast was removed, the actor could not perform fast and jumping movements. The resourceful actor replaced the movements with slow and sliding ones, thanks to which the foot could be “dragged” along the sand. And he simply misled the director of the film, Michalis Kakoyannis, by saying that this dance was shown to him by local residents and that it was truly Greek. To make it more convincing, the name was also invented in consonance with the existing Cretan dance sirtos - sirtaki (“little sirtos”). The music for the dance was written by the Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis.

Sirtaki means "touch" in Greek and actually shares similarities with the traditional Greek dance Hasapiko - the dance of the butchers. 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 above-mentioned film was shot over a long period of time, so at the end of filming, Anthony Quinn was already able to move without any restrictions. And he already performed the second part of the dance in the traditions of pidichtos, a Greek dance with leaps and jumps.

With the release of the film, dance in many countries really began to be perceived as Greek. The Greeks themselves also loved it and call it “Zorba’s dance” in honor of the main character. After the film's release, the American Queen who played the role of Zorba was even awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Greece.

Nowadays you can see sirtaki performed in Greek national costumes, but usually such an act only serves as a presentation of Greek culture outside the country itself.

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.

What are sirtaki?

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.

Features of sirtaki

The musical size of the dance is 4/4, but as the tempo increases, it can change to 2/4.

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. However, the dance, like the music for it, has very real authors - 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 of Greek origin, comes to Greece, his goal is to receive the inheritance that was left to him in Crete. He meets Zorba, cheerful and unceremonious local resident, 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 sharp 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.