Syrtos ( el, συρτός, ''syrtos'' (also ''sirtos''); plural , ''syrtoi'' (also ''sirtoi''); sometimes called in English using the Greek accusative forms ''syrto'' (also ''sirto''); from the el, links=no, σύρω, ''syro'' (also ''siro''), "to drag he dance) is – in classical and modern Greece – a traditional dance in which the dancers link hands to form a chain or circle, headed by a leader who intermittently breaks away to perform improvised steps. Syrtos, along with its relative kalamatianos, are the most popular dances throughout Greece and Cyprus, and are frequently danced by the Greek

diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews after ...

worldwide. They are very popular in social gatherings, weddings and religious festivals. Syrtos and kalamatianos use the same dance steps, but the syrtos is in time and the kalamatianos is in time, organized in a ''slow'' (3 beat), ''quick'' (2 beat), ''quick'' (2 beat) rhythm. Syrtos and kalamatianos are line dances and circle dances, done with the dancers in a curving line holding hands, facing right. The dancer at the right end of the line is the leader. He may also be a solo performer, improvising showy twisting skillful moves as the rest of the line does the basic step. While he does this, the next dancer in line stops dancing and holds him up with a twisted handkerchief linking their hands, so he can turn and not fall down, as in the '' Antikristos''. In some parts of syrtos, pairs of dancers hold a handkerchief from its two sides.

Rennell Rodd James Rennell Rodd, 1st Baron Rennell, (9 November 1858 – 26 July 1941), known as Sir Rennell Rodd before 1933, was a British diplomat, poet and politician. He served as British Ambassador to Italy during the First World War. Early life R ...

(1892) suggests that the dance is an imitation of the action of drawing in the seine net. C. T. Dimaras describes an inscription from the times of

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germanicu ...

, which implied that already at these times Syrtos was considered an ancient Greek dance of local tradition.

History

Syrtos is an ancient chain dance of Greece. It was described by Lucian (c. AD 125–190) and is still danced today in many varieties all over Greece and in the Greek islands. Traditionally, it was danced by segregated lines of men and women, a youth leading the line of girls; lines now are frequently mixed. The dancers in the chain maintain a simple fundamental step, but the leader improvises, often breaking away from the line. In 1803, the surviving women of the war-torn town of Souli, faced with capture by Turkish troops, danced the syrtos as they threw themselves off the mountain of Zálongo. The kalamatianos, a form of the syrtos and a profoundly popular national dance, is frequently danced to the ballad of Zálongo. The metre of the kalamatianos is (3 + 2 + 2); the syrtos metre is usually . Both the leader and other dancers may improvise in the kalamatianos, the leader leaping and flourishing his handkerchief and, when he chooses, passing it to a new leader. A relevant ancient Greek dance may be the "Hormos", literally "a string".

Regional variation

The Greek mainland, from the

Peloponnese The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic regions of Greece, geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmu ...

and Thessaly to

Macedonia Macedonia most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic reg ...

and Thrace, uses mainly the rhythm form of the dance, in contrast to Crete, the Aegean islands, Asia Minor and Constantinople that use .

Syrto-kalamatianos

Kalamatianos syrtos or syrto-kalamatianos are the most popular Greek folkdance syrtoi in Greece, Cyprus and internationally. The steps of the Kalamatianos are the same as those of the Syrtos, but the latter is slower and more stately, its beat being an even . Traditionally, it was danced by segregated lines of men and women. The lead dancer usually holds the second dancer by a handkerchief.

Nisiotikoi syrtoi

Syrtoi from the islands or nisiotikoi, with the relative local Greek culture of the islands. ''Nisiotikoi syrtoi'' include: Kalamatianos, Sousta, Syrtos from Ikaria, Pentozali, Pidikhtos, Rhoditikos, Syrtos from Symi, Skyrianos syrtos, Maleviziotikos, Samiotikos syrtos, Syrtos from Andros, Syrtos Chiotikos, Skopelitikos syrtos, Syrtos from Paros, Syrtos Kithnou, Syrtos Naxou, Zakynthinos syrtos, Syrto Rodou, a dance very widespread in

Greek islands Greece has many islands, with estimates ranging from somewhere around 1,200 to 6,000, depending on the minimum size to take into account. The number of inhabited islands is variously cited as between 166 and 227. The largest Greek island by a ...

and other.

Syrtos Koftos

Koftos is a

Greek dance Greek dance (''choros'') is a very old tradition, being referred to by authors such as Plato, Aristotle, Plutarch and Lucian. There are different styles and interpretations from all of the islands and surrounding mainland areas. Each region forme ...

that is danced in the regions of Thessaly, Epirus and central Greece. The name of the dance comes from the cut in tune/music. It is a faster ''syrto sta dyo'' style dance. When the music stops the dancers yell "Hey". When the music stops you also can put your arms up, down, or clap. It can also be danced going backwards and forwards or with partners. "Koftos" in Greek means to cut and the music cuts periodically. This is how the name came about. Samothraki choral dancers

Cretan Syrtos

Cretan Syrtos comes from Western Crete, Chania in particular. According to tradition, during the

Fall of Constantinople The Fall of Constantinople, also known as the Conquest of Constantinople, was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire. The city fell on 29 May 1453 as part of the culmination of a 53-day siege which had begun o ...

, the Cretan defenders of the City, during the pauses of battle, sang between themselves poetic words urging each other to bravery, using two melodic motives, Protos Chaniotikos (First, from Chania) and Deuteros Chaniotikos (Second, from Chania) or Kissamitikos (from Kissamos). When the City fell, the Sultan, observing the bravery of the Cretans allowed them to return to their homeland, Western Crete, fully armed. Thus, these two melodies, the archetypes of all other Cretan Syrtoi, were introduced to Crete and in subsequent years they were put into dance. It has been observed by authority of Greek traditional music

Domna Samiou Domna Samiou ( el, Δόμνα Σαμίου; 12 October 1928 – 10 March 2012Constantinople, the Aegean and Asia Minor.

Chortarakia (Syrtos Botaitikos)

A ''syrtos'' from

Arcadia Arcadia may refer to: Places Australia * Arcadia, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney * Arcadia, Queensland * Arcadia, Victoria Greece * Arcadia (region), a region in the central Peloponnese * Arcadia (regional unit), a modern administrative un ...

, it has become a pan-Hellenic dance. The older, two-part ''syrtos botaitikos'' from

Palaiopyrgos Palaiopyrgos ( el, Παλαιόπυργος, "Old Tower", before 1957: Μποντιά – ''Bontia'' or ''Bodia'') is a village in the municipal unit Levidi, Arcadia in Greece. Its mediaeval name was Bodia or ''Bodea.'' It is best known as the sour ...

(formerly ''Bodias'') can also be done to this music. This older form of the dance features men and women in two separate lines, the men behind the women. They merge into one line of mixed men and women and then back to the two lines, using the ancient chain hold that can be seen on ancient Greek vase paintings. The song tells of a young man meeting an old man and asking, "Where are the greens of the meadow, the water from the well?"

Politiko syrto

Politiko syrto is from the area of Constantinople in Asia Minor. Constantinople was referred as "the city" (or "poli") because of its importance as a seat of culture and trade in the civilized world. Syrto (from the Greek word "syro" meaning to pull or, more accurately, to lead) is characterized by its slow-quick-quick rhythm within its meter. There is also a similar dance, the Silivrianos Syrtos.

Syrto Kefallonias

This dance is from the island of Kefallonia in the Ionian Sea.

Syrtos Dance From Bornova (Bournovalios Syrtos)

This is danced to a song entitled ''Ti Tha Yino, Ego Me Sena'' ("What Shall I Become, I with You?"), the story of an erstwhile courtship:

What am I to do with you Panayiotis? You've stolen my heart and youth. For three years now you've enslaved me and you'vetormented me, but I've got your game now, you liar, and know that you've no feelings for me. You come to my neighborhood to chat with me, and you come and go in my house and laugh behind everyone's back. But you must know that my mother will not be ashamed to tell you that you're a liar and a scoundrel. You better leave before she sees you, and face it, she'll kick you out, Panayiotis. Then she'll marry me off to someone else, and I'll be freed from you, Panayiotis.

Syrtos Sinkathistos

Circle pidikhtos dance, with the steps of simple "syrtos" and the squat-steps of "sygkathistos", a syrtos dance widespread in Thessaly and Thrace.

Syrtos Makedonias

Syrtos of Macedonia, is another one form of syrtos, danced in the Greek region of

Syrtos Pyleas

This dance is from a village in Macedonia called Pyleas. One of the variations is called "arm aloft," as dancers raise their arms rhythmically over their heads and back down again. The Dance is mainly done by women.

Syrto Bafra

Also known as Omali, in the Kerasounta/

Giresun Giresun (), formerly Cerasus (Ancient Greek: Κερασοῦς, Greek: Κερασούντα), is the provincial capital of Giresun Province in the Black Sea Region of northeastern Turkey, about west of the city of Trabzon. Etymology Giresun wa ...

region, this dance is called ''syrto'', ''karshilidiko omal'', (after the name of the song, which means "vegetables"), ''kerasountaiko'' or ''kotsihton omal'', widespread in Asia Minor. It is a rhythm and bears no resemblance to what we usually call syrto, which is usually either a kalamatianos or rhythm. In this case, the name most likely refers to the style, what we call dragging dances.

References

External links

*http://www.greekfolkmusicanddance.com/bookdance.php
Syrtos Makedonias from Chalkidike
;Videos
Syrtos ChaniotikosSyrtos PyleasSyrtos MakedoniasSyrtos Singathistos ThraceSyrto KeffaloniasSyllivriano Syrtos Asia Minor/Aegean IslandsKalamatianos
{{Authority control Ancient Greek dances European folk dances Greek dances Greek music Greek words and phrases Circle dances Pontic Greek dances