Zeibekikos Dance, the Bodily Expression of Pain, Sorrow, Joy, Excitement, “Leventia” (Courage).
Cyprus Lawyers, G. Kouzalis LLC, would like to inform you about Greek dance Zeibekikos.
Zeibekikos dance appeared in mainland Greece, in the last quarter of the 19th century. The Greek Zeibekikos came from the Rebetiko song of the 19th and 20th centuries in Asia Minor from musical admixtures of Greek traditional and Byzantine music and continued in Greece, before and after the Asia Minor catastrophe.
Initially it was an antichrist dance of two armed dancers, which was also called the “eagle dance”, while it gradually evolved into a “single improvisational male dance”. It is a complex combined dance, with the dancer improvising by making movements to the rhythm of the Byzantine meter (9/8). Some of the elements of this dance are the beats of the dancer’s hands on his feet, but also on the ground and the turns around himself.
There are many opinions about the origin of the Greek dance Zeibekikos and the “Zeimpekides” (usually male dancers who perform zeimbekiko dance). A permanent misunderstanding of the random events on the subject of Zeibekikos dance, the “order”, with the ferocity of the people who dance Zeibekiko.
In the past, even sometimes nowadays, it happens that someone dares to interrupt someone who is dancing zeibekiko, he is taking a risk! This is how the institution of the “order” began during the years of the Occupation. In other words, the musicians, usually with the Bonus payment (Tip), announced the name of the “beneficiary” in the next dance. While he was dancing, no one else was allowed to dance with him in the same place or disturb him.
Nowadays, zeibekikos differs from any other dance, as one does not need to know specific steps, but neither can it be taught precisely by someone else, however experienced they may be in the genre. The most important and most basic of all, is to concentrate on the music and the lyrics, and let the emotions that are evoked guide one’s movements.
Each zeibekikos dancer, depending on his feelings, acquires his own style and his body is expressed by the figures, which come by themselves spontaneously. It is danced by a single dancer who, if he has a sense of rhythm and enough imagination, can proceed to an unimaginable variety of improvisations.
Nowadays we meet excellent dancers, men and women, who dance with impressive figures to the same rhythm, to the same old rebetika songs but also to other modern ones. Don’t be surprised to experience broken plates and even glasses on the dance floor when the fun gets going in the zeibekikos dance.
You will find meaning in this life only if you create it yourself! Great dancers are not great because of their technique. They are great because of their passion!
For more information contact G. KOUZALIS LLC, Lawyer in Cyprus by email on lawfirm@cytanet.com.cy, or by telephone on 00357 23811788.