23.-Syrtos-or-Kalamatianos

SYRTOS or KALAMATIANOS : Greek
PRONUNCIATION: seer-TOHS, kah-lah-mah-tee-ah-NOS
TRANSLATION: Syrtos means dragging dance; Kalamatianos means dance from Kalamata
and is named for the song “San pas stin Kalamata.”
BACKGROUND:

Syrto comes from the verb syro (to move something from one place
to another without lifting, to pull, to drag). It is a panhellenic
dance, one that is done all over Greece. Many Greeks call it their
“national dance.”

According to John S.Pappas, “Syrtos . . . applies to dances with a
smoother flowing movement. The Kalamatianos has the same basic step as
the Syrtos, but it is often bouncy and leaping in character. When a
dance is leaping, it is called Pithichtos [Pidichtos], or leaping
dance. The Syrtos can also be a Pithichtos in styling. Thus, one
can see that the nomenclature is somewhat confusing. There is one more
criterion for describing the dances: the Syrtos is in 2/4 time, the
Kalamatianos is in 7/8 time. Actually, then, it is the music which
decides what the dance is called. The music also tells the dancer how to
dance: some music demands smooth, dragging steps; other music demands
high, leaping steps.”

In ancient dance, men and women danced in separate lines. Today,
however, men and women dance together. A handkerchief, now as then, may
be held between the lead and second dancer.
MUSIC: Any of thousands of Syrtos or Kalamatianos recordings.
FORMATION: Open cir of mixed M and W with hands joined and held at shldr height
in “W” pos. The hands should not be pushed fwd into the cir, but should
be comfortably back near the shldrs. The leader and end person may
either extend free hand out to side (this is typical for the leader) or
place hand on hip or in a fist on the small of the back.
METER/RHYTHM: 4/4 or 7/8, counted below in three dancers counts (slow-quick-quick)
with the first being the longest (Syrtos is typically 2-1-1 or 4-2-2 and
Kalamatianos 3-2-2).
STEPS/STYLE: The style depends upon the music to which the dance is being done,
but is generally smooth. A small hop may appear between meas one and two
at times.
MEAS MOVEMENT DESCRIPTION
INTRODUCTION
None. Begin with any musical phrase.
BASIC STEP (12-step Syrtos)
1 Facing ctr, step R swd (ct 1); step L across in back of R (ct 2);
step R to R, turning to face diag R in LOD (ct 3);
2 Moving in LOD, step L across in front of R ct 1); step R (ct 2);
step L (ct 3);
3 Turning to face ctr, step R twd ctr (ct 1); small step L fwd (ct 2);
small step R bwd (ct 3);
4 Still facing ctr, step L bwd (ct 1); small step R bwd (ct 2); small
step L fwd (ct 3).
Repeat entire dance from beg.
LEADER’S OPTIONS
The leader, should he feel like it, may improvise on the
basic step by adding turns, spins, and other variations, such as:
A. DANCING BACKWARD
At any time, the leader may turn his back to LOD (by facing the
second dancer in line) and do his steps moving bwd without releasing the
handkerchief (or the second dancer’s hand, if handkerchief is not being
used).
B. TURNS
The leader may do one or two turns (CW or CCW), usually during the
first one or two meas. These are generally traveling turns in LOD and
the leader may or may not release the handkerchief (or the second
dancer’s hand, if a handkerchief is not being used).
C. THROUGH THE ARCH
The leader and the second dancer raise the handkerchief (or the
second dancer’s hand, if a handkerchief is not being used), forming an
arch. The leader passes behind the second dancer. The second dancer
turns slightly to his L and brings the arch fwd over his head as he
ducks bwd under the arch. The leader and the second dancer then move in
RLOD as the other dancers pass under the arch without releasing hands,
turning and following the second dancer. When the last dancer has passed
under the arch, the leader resumes the orig dir of the dance.
D. KNEE BENDS, LEAPS, SLAPS
The strenuous athletic tricks are rarely found in the Syrtos or
Kalamatianos and are usually reserved for other dances, such as the
Tsamikos. Even when they are found, it is usually the M who do them
(although in recent years, W are also doing half-knee bends, low leaps,
and light slaps). Slapping the shoe on the sole or side of the heel
after a leap or deep knee-bend is typical and the cts on which the
leader does these variations is up to him. Experienced dancers usually
emerge from such variations exactly on the beat (or with a pause), so
that the resumption of the general direction of the dance is smooth. It
is advised that dancers practice at home, perfecting their leaps and
slaps before attempting them as a leader on the dance floor.
CHANGING LEADERS

The leader may relinquish the lead pos to a new
leader of his choosing. Without releasing hands, he may head twd a
dancer he wants to become the new leader and then, breaking into the
line between the new leader and the next dancer behind him, takes the
new leader’s L hand with his R. The old leader switches the handkerchief
so it is now between himself and the new leader. The cut-off portion of
the line dances slower than before. The two portions of the line resume
the hand-hold as the end of the new lead portion comes by the beg of the
cut-off portion.

An alternative is for the old leader to simply release his hold on
the hankerchief and walk to the opposite end of the line, leaving the
second person as the new leader, who gives the handkerchief to the
second in line.

Another alternative is for the old leader to ask someone to walk over
and take the lead, transferring the handkerchief between himself and the
new leader.
Copyright © 2004 by Dick
Oakes
(with minor modifications by John Pappas)