The Pentozali or Pentozalis ( el, Πεντοζάλης) is the trademark folk

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

of the island of

Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and ...

. It takes its name from the fifth (''pente'') attempt or step (ζάλος being a

Cretan Greek Cretan Greek, or the Cretan dialect ( el, Κρητική Διάλεκτος, ), is a variety of Modern Greek spoken in Crete and by the Cretan diaspora. Geographic distribution The Cretan dialect is spoken by the majority of the Cretan Greek ...

word for "step") of the Cretan people to liberate Crete from the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. It can thus be translated as "''five-steps''". The name also contains an element of

wordplay Word play or wordplay (also: play-on-words) is a literary technique and a form of wit in which words used become the main subject of the work, primarily for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Examples of word play include puns, phon ...

, as ‘ζάλη’ () means dizziness, and so it may also be interpreted as a dance that can make its dancers dizzy five times over ("five-dizzy"). In fact the dance has ten steps in total. The Pentozali is a

war dance A war dance is a dance involving mock combat, usually in reference to tribal warrior societies where such dances were performed as a ritual connected with endemic warfare. Martial arts in various cultures can be performed in dance-like settin ...

, vigorous, with high jumping movements and allows for much improvisation. It starts at a moderate pace and accelerates progressively. The dancers hold each other by the shoulders and form an incomplete circle, which rotates counterclockwise very slowly, or sometimes not at all, because most of the lively steps are semi-stationary. The first dancer is expected to improvise whilst engaging in acrobatics: they and the second dancer link hands (as opposed to laying their arms over each other's shoulders, as the other dancers in the line do) and the second dancer stands still and rigid, so that the first dancer is provided a more stable base from which to perform. Once the first dancer has finished their part, they are expected to break ranks and slowly dance their way towards the back of the line, yielding their place to the second dancer, and so on. Both men and women perform the dance, but the steps of the women's dance were traditionally more restrained, because their dress did not allow for high jumps. Traditional Cretan menswear, on the other hand, facilitates acrobatic dancing as it includes the black βράκα (), a variant of

breeches Breeches ( ) are an article of clothing covering the body from the waist down, with separate coverings for each human leg, leg, usually stopping just below the knee, though in some cases reaching to the ankles. Formerly a standard item of Weste ...

that are worn tight around the waist and thighs and extremely baggy and loose around the hips. Legend has it that when Turkish armies sailed to Crete in order to crush popular rebellions there, the Cretans would dance Pentozali and the Turkish would flee, fearing the dancers were demonic because of the speed and ferocity of their movement. It was even thought that it was a dance sent from god. Before battle, the Cretans danced it in order to demoralize opposing armies. Pentozali music is instrumental: the main tune is played by the pear-shaped, bowed

Cretan Lyra ) * Lira da braccio * Rabāb (Arabic الرباب) * Lijerica * Violin , musicians = * Andreas Rodinos * Alekos Karavitis * Antonis Papadakis (Kareklas) * Kostas Mountakis * Nikos Xilouris * Psarantonis * Ross Daly * Yiorgos Kalou ...

, to the accompaniment of a

Laouto The laouto ( el, λαούτο, pl. laouta ) is a long-neck fretted instrument of the lute family, found in Greece and Cyprus, and similar in appearance to the oud. It has four double-strings. It is played in most respects like the oud (plucked ...

, played not in a melodic but in a more percussive or rhythmic fashion. It is the Lyra player who usually directs the flow of the dance: he improvises to signal the first dancer to improvise too, and resumes the main tune when it is time for the first dancer to yield his place to another. Dances vary from island to island and it has become an everyday staple of Greek culture. Every island has their own version and their own style. A version of it is also popular in the Dodecanese islands in the Aegean sea.

External links

Greek Reporter article, 2021: “Pentozali: The Traditional Dance Of Crete”:

YouTube video: “kourites pentozali cretan dance manolioudis”:

External links

See also