THE TRADITIONAL DANCES OF CRETE

Extracts from Ioannis Tsouchlarakis’ book:

The dances of Crete, legend, history, tradition, Athens 2000,

(First Praise of Academia Athinon)

THE DANCE IN ANCIENT CRETE

   According to ancient Greek tradition, the dance was born in Crete, where it evolved as an art, under divine inspiration and guidance, and spread to the rest of the Greek world from there.  It was believed that the most ancient dances were those of the Courites, who were taught by Rea herself, the mother of Zeus.  According to ancient Greek writings, the most famous dance of the Courites was the “pyrrichios”, and all the war dances of antiquity went under the general name of “pyrrichi”.  We are informed that over the years this dance spread to the whole of Greece, and each town where it was first danced gave it a different name and claimed it for its own, aspiring to be the town of origin.  In 300 A.D., women started to dance the “pyrrichios”, and since then some variations have taken the form of a love dance.

    Particularly well-known in Crete since Minoan times were also the ceremonial round dances, closed and open, as necessary elements of religious ritual.  The ancient Greeks believed that the Cretans had invented these rituals with the “syrtos” dances (dragging steps), which were danced round the alter during a sacrifice.

     The rich heritage of Crete in music and dancing, which evolved and survived till modern times, developed as a continuity of ancient local tradition and was complemented by the influences of the long historic periods of the island’s adventures.

THE TRADITIONAL DANCES OF CRETE

            About twenty traditional dances are included in the living heritage of dance in Crete.  Of these, today, some are widely danced all over Crete, and others are purely local.  In the first category we have the “sousta of Rethymno”, the “siganos”, the “maleviziotis” or “kastrinos pidichtos”, the “Chaniotikos syrtos” and the “pentozali”.  It should be noted, however, that these dances (except from “siganos”), prior to 1930, used to be confined to certain regions.  To be more precise, the “sousta of Rethymno” was known in the county of the same name, the “maleviziotis” in the county of Heraclion, and the “Chaniotikos syrtos” and the “Pentozali” in the county of Chania.

            The other, less known dances, are: the “pidichtos of Mylopotamos” which we come across in the province of that name, the “ghitsikia sousta”, the “glykomilitsa” and the “rodo” in the province of Kissamos, the “fterotos syrtos” or “dama” or “paso” (step variations of the Chaniotikos syrtos with differences in the choreography) in some villages of the counties of Chania and Rethymno, the “apanomeritis” and the “mikro-mikraki” in provinces of the counties of Rethymno and Heraclion, the “koutsambadianos” and the “trizalis” in the province of Amario, Rethymno, the “siganos” in the counties of Rethymno, Heraclion and Lassithi, the “bramianos-priniotis”, the “angaliastos” and the “zervodexos” in the provinces of Ierapetra and Mirabello, the “Lassithiotikos pidichtos” (and its variations “steiakos” in Siteia and “ierapetritikos” in Ierapetra), and the “lazotis” in various parts of the island.

            We could say that the “pidichtoi” dances (jumping) like the “sousta of Rethymno”, the “ghitsikia sousta”, the “pentozali”, the “pidichtos of Mylopotamos”, the “maleviziotis”, the “Lassithiotikos pidichtos” and the “bramianos-priniotis” are echoes of the dances of the Courites or the pyrrichi dances, either as variations or under different names, transformed with the passing of the centuries.

            The “sousta of Rethymno”, the love dance of Crete, which is danced by one or more couples facing each other, contains numerous elements of the ancient pyrrichios. The basic steps of the dance, which resemble small jumps and make the dancers’ bodies move as if propelled by springs, were probably the reason that the dance, during the Venetian occupation (1204-1669) was given the name “sousta”, from the Italian word “susta” which means spring or coil.

            In the last quarter of the 18th century we know that in Constantinople the women mainly danced what they called “candiot” or “Greek dance”.  The name “candiot” comes from the Italian name for Heraclion, “Candia”, which also referred to the whole of Crete after 1204 when it was occupied by the Venetians. Perhaps the “apanomeritis”, the women’s dance from central Crete, corresponds to the “candiot”, as they are very similar, and consequently back to an ancient Minoan dance, thus expressing its survival.

            According to the cretan tradition, the dance “trizalis” is the women’s war dance of Crete, revealing women’ s participation in war but also their support for men warriors.

            The contemporary Cretan syrtos, mostly known as “Chaniotikos syrtos”, is said to have evolved, possibly through the transformation of the steps of an older syrtos dance, in the mid-18th century in the province of Kissamos, Chania. We should note that the dance was also used, according to ancient customs, as a necessary mean of expression and encouragement in cases of war.  Tradition says that the music accompanying the Chaniotikos syrtos is based on two melodies, which had been composed, in keeping with this ancient custom, by Cretan warriors – the last defendants of Constantinople – in 1453, and carried back to Crete by the survivors.  The first music rendition of the dance is attributed to the violinist from Loussakies, Kissamos, Stefanos Triantafilakis or Kioros.  The Chaniotikos syrtos spread to the rest of Crete during the period between the two World Wars, gradually acquiring variations in style and expression.  It is a unique dance and particularly interesting due to its special way of dance performing at the province if Kissamos, where only the two first dancers in the circle dance and the rest follow them walking and the large number of accompanying melodies (tunes), created by great musicians of the 19th and 20th century.

            The “siganos” is a slow dance,  and perhaps that is the reason why it was given this name. Nowadays, it is danced by men and women at every feast. In the past, however, it was danced mainly by women.  According to tradition, during Ottoman rule the Turkish lords (aga) used to invite Cretan families to so-called feasts, in order to have their wives and daughters dance.  But they would strew chickpeas on the floor to make the women slip and fall and so ridicule and assault  them.  The Cretans didn’t want the Turks to have it their way, so they used to tell the musicians, Christians in the majority, to play the “siganos”.  We don’t know if this dance already existed or if it was formed for that particular reason. The “siganos” is danced with variations in handhold, steps and music in all over Crete, except from the prefecture of Chania. In Eastern Crete it is called “xenobassaris” (county of Ierapetra) or ή “ mana”, because when people sing mantinades, they use to repeat the phrase  “ gia to theo mana mou”.

In the category of the “syrtos” dances we also have the “rodo”, which up till a few years ago was danced only in Loussakies, Kissamos, and the “mikro-mikraki”.

            The “pentozali” (according to word of mouth tradition, which after thorough investigation and cross-checking has become historical fact) took its present music-dance form and name during the period of Daskaloyiannis' Revolution in 1770-71, perhaps by transforming an older “pyrrichios” dance.  It was named pentozali (to) -neutral and not pentozalis (o) -masculine, because it symbolizes the fifth “zalo” (step), that is, the fifth chance – hope – attempt to free Crete from the Turks.  It has ten steps, to commemorate the 10th October 1769, when the people of Sfakia made the decision to go ahead with the revolution, and its music consists of twelve music phrases (parts) in honour of the twelve leaders of the revolt.  Accounts which have been preserved say that up till the early 1960’s, the people of the provinces of Kissamos and Selinos, while dancing the pentozali, on hearing each tune of the dance music, used to call out the name of the captain that corresponded to the music phrase, in this way honouring the memory of Daskaloyiannis, his chief comrades and their revolt.

      Among those who took part in Daskaloyiannis’ Revolution  was the great war-chief Joseph Daskalakis or Sifodaskalakis (the elder) from the village of Ambadia, Rethymno.  Sifodaskalakis was among those who survived the revolt, but he was left crippled in his left leg.  Tradition says that some years later Captain Sifis wanted to dance the pentozali.  The musicians and dancers honoured him by adapting the rhythm of the music and the steps of the dance to the step of a lame man.  He danced, although lame, and his dance became part of the tradition of the Amari province as “koutsambadianos” or “ka(r)tsimba(r)dianos”, so that everyone might remember the dance of the lame man from Ambadia, Sifodaskalakis.

            The “angaliastos” is a simple dance with walking steps, and is danced at joyous occasions.  Its name comes from the peculiar way the dancers hold each other, which looks as if each dancer is embracing the one in front of him.  The musician or the “adorner” (a woman with experience in this dance who takes the lead in the circle) “adorns” each dancer with praising or teasing couplets and at the same time the process of embracing goes on.  The dance continues and all the participants respond with similar “mantinades” (couplets).

            The alternating direction of the “zervodexos”, forward and back, or left (zerva) and right (dexia), is the reason why the dance was given this name. When the music begins, the dancers move forward (to the right in the circle).  When the violin or lyre player makes a characteristic sharp sound like a screech with his bow, then the dancers change direction and the first becomes last and vice versa.  The older musicians used to play this dance at feasts when they wanted to liven things up.  It could be called a comic dance or a dance - game.

            The “lazotis” is a cheerful Cretan dance that was based on two dances of Pontos, the “omal aplo” and the “tik so gonaton”.  It is usually danced at carnival time, like so many other “exotic” dances all over Greece (Dournerakia, Arapis, Zeibekia, etc.).  The dance is the result either of contact between Cretans and people of Pontos during the First World War, or people from Pontos (Lazous) who came to Crete in the 19th century.

            In some of the dances we have mentioned that “improvisations” by the first dancer in line are a usual thing, while in others they are not.  What we must point out here is that each dance is determined by its own folk traditions, which dictate the particular in style and movement improvisations.  That means, the first dancer has to perform dance figures within bounds if he knows them or according to his own inspiration, without using movements from the improvisations of other dances.

THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

IN THE CRETAN TRADITION

Extracts from Ioannis Tsouchlarakis’ book:

The folk musical instruments in Crete, Athens 2004.

 THE TRADITIONAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS IN CRETE

     The traditional musical instruments used in Crete today in order to play the music of the dances and the songs of the island, in a greater or lesser degree, are the lute, the lyre, the violin, the “violin-lyre”, the mandolin, the guitar, the “boulgari”, the “m(p)andoura”, the “askom(p)andoura”, the “habioli” and