Συρτός 'Κρήτες' Μαρτσάκης 2018 Sirtos Group Cretans

Στην χοροεσπερίδα του Λαογραφικού Χορευτικού Ομίλου "Κρήτες" ο δάσκαλος Πετράκης Γιώργος και η παρέα του βγαίνει στο κέφι!
Cretan Dances
Sirtos or Chaniotis
This dance is one of the most popular of the “dragging” dances of Crete. (“sirtós” is from the
Greek verb síro, “to drag”).
According to folklore, the first two melodies that formed the core of the oldest tune of Chania
(Protos Chaniotikos), the “first dragging dance”, were composed by the last Cretan defenders
of the Byzantine Empire during the Fall of Constantinople in 1453. These two melodies reached
Western Crete and were initially conserved as songs. In the middle of the 18 th century,
Stefanos Triantaphyllakis, or Kioros, a violinist from the area of Kissamos, gave the first
instrumental performance, while its first rendition in dance steps is attributed to the people of
Kissamos, in the settlement of Pateriana of the village Lussakies of Chania. It is a circular
dance, made up of 11 steps. It was danced in the past mainly by men who had the chance,
taking the lead one by one, to display their improvised individual dance moves and twists.
Chaniotis was disseminated throughout Crete during the interwar period. With the passing of
the years the women joined in the dance, while a variety of melodies and tunes as well as
variations in the steps can be found in every village and province of the island.