The sirtaki is the dance everyone associates with Greece. Yet it is not traditional: it was created in 1964 for Michael Cacoyannis's film Zorba the Greek, based on the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis.
How it began
In the film's final scene, on the beach at Stavros in Crete, Zorba, played by Anthony Quinn, teaches the English intellectual Basil (Alan Bates) to dance. Quinn could not dance Greek dances and, in the most common version, had also hurt his foot: so the choreographer created a simple dance with dragging steps, mixing the slow and fast versions of the hasapiko. They called it sirtaki, a diminutive of syrtos, "dragged". The music, by Mikis Theodorakis, is called Zorba's Dance and became one of the best-known instrumental pieces in the world.
The music
The piece begins very slowly, in 4/4, with the bouzouki seeming to hesitate, and gradually accelerates to a very fast 2/4. The dancers follow the music: from slow, measured steps they move to quick hops that require breath and coordination.
Basic steps
- Dancers stand in a line or semicircle, arms on their neighbours' shoulders.
- In the slow part they step sideways to the right, crossing the left foot in front of the right, alternating with small leg swings.
- They step back, shifting from foot to foot, keeping the line balanced.
- As the music speeds up, the same steps become hops, faster and faster.
- At the end dancers may add bends, jumps and the famous slap of the hand on the heel.
In Greece
Greeks consider the sirtaki a dance "for tourists" and at traditional festivals prefer the hasapiko, syrtos or kalamatianos. But Zorba's Dance is still played in many tavernas and at weddings, and no one can resist it. In 2012 at Volos over 5,600 people danced the sirtaki together, setting a world record.
Where to dance it
Tavernas with live music in Crete, Athens (especially the Plaka) and the busier islands often hold sirtaki evenings, and musicians invite guests to join the line. In Crete you can also visit Stavros beach on the Akrotiri peninsula near Chania, where the final scene was filmed.
See also Greek music and Greek dances.