THE DANCES EXPLAINED
Syrtaki, Kalamatianos, Tsamiko: Greek Folk Dances Explained
Syrtaki was invented for a 1964 film, not a village square — here's how it, kalamatianos, tsamiko and hasapiko actually differ, region by region.
See Dora Stratou tickets on GetYourGuide ↗Syrtaki: the dance everyone recognises, and it isn't old
The dance most visitors call "the Greek dance" is barely sixty years old. Syrtaki was choreographed by Giorgos Provias for the 1964 film Zorba the Greek, set to Mikis Theodorakis's score, and built as a hybrid of the older syrtos and hasapiko steps. Its slow-to-fast structure is often said to have been shaped around Anthony Quinn's injured foot, which limited how much he could do in the film's dance scenes. It caught on internationally and became a kind of shorthand for Greek dance generally — but a genuine folklore programme like Dora Stratou's is built almost entirely from dances with much deeper roots, syrtaki being the exception rather than the rule.
Kalamatianos: the dance every Greek actually learns
If one dance unites Greece, it's this one. Kalamatianos is danced in a long open circle, hands joined and slightly raised, moving counter-clockwise with a distinctive uneven rhythm of seven beats per bar, split 3-2-2. It takes its name from Kalamata in the Peloponnese, though versions of it are danced at weddings and festivals nationwide. It's simple enough for anyone to join a line within a few bars, which is exactly why it's the default social dance at Greek celebrations — and a strong candidate for the liveliest, most audience-friendly moment of a regional programme.
Tsamiko: the mountain dance built for one man to show off
Tsamiko comes from a rougher tradition. Named for the Klephts — armed fighters who resisted Ottoman rule from the mountains of Epirus and central Greece — it was historically danced only by men, in a slow 3/4 meter, arms locked at the elbow in a line. The lead dancer improvises: measured, gliding steps building to sudden high kicks and leaps, while the rest of the line, gripping tightly, keeps him steady. It's less about complexity than presence — grace and control performed as a kind of quiet bravado, a world away from Kalamatianos's easy, communal circle.
Hasapiko: the real dance behind the famous one
Long before syrtaki, there was hasapiko — the "butchers' dance," said to originate with the Constantinople butchers' guild, who performed a mock combat routine in tight, synchronised lines. It exists in two tempos: the slow, heavy version (hasapiko vari) in 4/4, and a faster 2/4 form (hasapiko grigoro). Provias drew directly on both when building syrtaki for Zorba the Greek, which is why the two dances can look related to an untrained eye. Seeing hasapiko performed in its own right, without the film's slow-fast gear change layered on top, shows a more disciplined, martial dance than its famous descendant.
The island syrtos and the Pontic dances: two opposite extremes
Regional programmes deliberately put contrasting dances side by side. The island syrtos — the older dance kalamatianos itself derives from — is light, quick-footed and open, suited to the Aegean's flatter village squares. Pontic dances sit at the other end entirely: brought to Greece by refugees from the Black Sea coast of Asia Minor after 1922, they're danced in tight, fast-moving circles to the three-stringed kemenche, a small bowed lyra with a piercing, insistent tone. Watching both in one evening makes clear how differently "Greek folk dance" can sound and move depending on where in the Greek world it comes from.
Five Greek folk dances, side by side
| Dance | Origin | Meter / tempo | Who dances it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syrtaki | Choreographed 1964, for film | Slow building to fast | Anyone — modern, not historic |
| Kalamatianos | Peloponnese / nationwide | 7/8, moderate | Open circle, all ages |
| Tsamiko | Epirus / Klephtic tradition | 3/4, slow | Historically men only |
| Hasapiko | Constantinople butchers' guild | 4/4 slow or 2/4 fast | Close, synchronised lines |
| Pontic dances | Black Sea Asia Minor | Fast, tight circle | Shoulder-to-shoulder circle |