Aziyade

Okay this is a spin-off of Zorba's question, but I'd really like to start understanding Greek and Turkish music and dance (and what you can and cannot "bellydance" to).

So for this thread, I would like to know about Greek music and dance.

1. First of all, what Greek music would be appropriate for belly dancing in a Greek restaurant (the owners are from Crete).

(I realize a lot of people don't think you should bellydance to ANY Greek music, but what would be the kind of music that would be considered the least offensive to bellydance to -- even by the Greek BOBs) lol.

2. An unrelated question: I'm interested in Greek folk music and folk dancing. Where's the best place to start? Is there a good web source for TYPES of Greek music and folk dance? Does the type of music dictate what the dance is?


(as a possible reference, I have the Hollwood Music Center CD "Greek Belly Dance: Dance with Katia. That's the only Greek music "bellydance" CD I have, but I do have lots of Bouzouki cds.)

Recommended CDs? DVDs? Youtube Videos?
Remember, I'm interested in both bellydancing AND folk dancing.

THANK YOU!!!!

chryssanthi sahar

Dear Aziyade.
I'm happy that you are interested in Greek music and dance, so I'll try to help you as much as I can.

You can belly dance only with Greek Tsifteteli music. If you want to know more about the Greek Tsifteteli (Greek belly dance), have a look at my article in this forum:
What is Tsifteteli?
and also at the discussion about Greek Tsifteteli in under forum "Music":
http://forum.orientaldancer.net/musi...hifteteli.html
Who said, that you shouldn't belly dance to any Greek music? Whoever said that, is an absolute ignorant.
There is a huge belly dance music tradition in Greece and today it is developing so good, that even the Arabs "steal" some of our modern Tsifteteli songs. There are millions of Tsifteteli songs, so it is difficult to tell you concrete titles. But I give you a good advise: forget about all supposed to be Greek belly dance CDs which are produced in the USA by American (or Greek American) dancers. Most of them don't have anything to do with the Greek reality.


Yes, there are different websites with titles and sometimes even songs you can download. Just type "Greek Tsifteteli", "Rembetiko", "Greek folk dances" in the Google search machine and you'll find some sites. Yes, the type of music dictates (absolutely!!!) the dance. Greeks don't tolerate the wrong things danced to specific musics. That's why one really has to study Greek dances and music, otherwise he/she could easily offend Greeks. For us in Greece dance and music are extremely important, they are a huge part of our identity, that's why we don't like "fakes" at all.

If you want to see examples of both go to my youtube account:
YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

Have a look first at my traditional Tsifteteli video
YouTube - Traditional Greek Tsifteteli by Chryssanthi Sahar

then at my Tsifteteli Oriental (modern Tsifteteli) video
YouTube - Tsifteteli Oriental by Chryssanthi Sahar

and then at the floor dance with my students (we dance on a slow Tsifteteli song)
YouTube - Oriental Flow: Floor Dance

Then have a look at my "favorites". There you find different videos with Greek folk dances (especially Pontic dances, Tsamiko and Zeimbekia).
Besides this you can type at youtube search "Greek Tsifteteli" and "Greek folk dances". There are plenty of videos.
But I must tell, that we have a huuuuuge music and dance tradition in Greece (probably as big as all other European countries together), so it is almost impossible to learn much about Greek music and dances by yourself. Search for a Greek folk dance instructor in your area, this is the best. But you'll never learn Tsifteteli (belly dance) from a folk dance instructor, because this is rather a social dance, which we dance in the bouzoukia clubs. I am one of the very few Greek dancers worldwide, who is transferring Tsifteteli on the stage (and transforming it, so that it gets more artistic). Most Greeks haven't even thought about it
I hope, I could help a bit, but feel free to ask further. I am always happy, if I can inform people about my home culture

__________________
Oriental dancer and instructor of Greek origin, living in Germany
www.chryssanthi.com

Maria_Aya

Ohh my, I feel that greek dance is gonna be the new hot thing lol
(even now in Greece, tap dance is the new hot thing)

Chryssanthi answered in a great way most of your questions.
I just want to add for the folk part (since I teach Cretan Folk Dance for 20 years) that each small part of Greece have different folk dances.
Yes we have Kalamatiano, Tsamiko and Nisiotika (Island dances) that tend to be danced all around Greece but the others are mostly for people that are originated from specific places.
Beside these 3 all-Greece dances the most known (but few can dance them) and apriciated from the audience and give thrills to people are Pontic Dances and Cretan that have a similarity also.

Maria Aya

Aziyade

Thank you!!! This is a lot of information to go through, and I'm sure I'm going to have more questions. Please keep this thread alive!

I know it's technically not bellydance, but I adore folk dancing, and I think even being off-topic, other people might be interested as well.

chryssanthi sahar

Tsifteteli IS technically and musically belly dance!! It is the Greek belly dance The other folk dances aren't.

__________________
Oriental dancer and instructor of Greek origin, living in Germany
www.chryssanthi.com

Aziyade

Here's the CD I have, with samples of the music. Since I'm not familiar with this kind of music, it all sounds the same to me. Are these different rhythms? Is this actually Greek music, or just Arab folk played on Greek instruments? Any thoughts on this CD would be appreciated, since right now it's all I have. (I plan to get MUCH more!)

Various Artists Greek Belly Dance: Dance With Katia CD

chryssanthi sahar

Hello Aziyade.

I checked out almost all the songs of you CD and I confirm, that all of them are Greek Tsifteteli (exept Nr. 11 "Ta mavra matia sou", which is originally an Arabian song, but it exists in a very famous Greek version, so that most Greeks consider it to be Greek. But this is not so unusual. Greek, Turks and Arabs, "steal" all of the time songs from each other ). So you can belly dance to all of those songs. But: the versions of the songs on this CD are veryyyy boring. So you are right to think, that everything sounds just the same. It does the same for me, although I know most of those songs Anyway for the beginning it is o.k., but there are lot lot lot better songs, especially the very modern ones. (The CD songs are quite old, traditional Tsifteteli songs). I just name you some singers who have sung very good Tsifteteli lately: Despina Vandi (I got some clips of her on my youtube account among my favorites), Elli Kokkinou, Kostas Mazonakis, Petrelis, Kourkoulis etc. And the most famous and best composer of modern Tsifteli songs is the one and only Phoebos (Fevos). His songs are so good, that many of them are sung also in Arabic versions. The most famous composer of traditional Tsifteteli songs is Leonardos Bournelis.
I hope I could help you further

__________________
Oriental dancer and instructor of Greek origin, living in Germany
www.chryssanthi.com

Tayri

I'm starting to branch out a bit and have an opportunity to dance in one of our local Greek restaurants. I found this CD that your referring to for a good price online and wanted to buy it as a starter, but wanted to be sure it would be appropriate. Thanks ladies, I'm glad I stumbled onto your thread and have joined the forum as a result!

chryssanthi sahar

You are welcome

__________________
Oriental dancer and instructor of Greek origin, living in Germany
www.chryssanthi.com

maariku

Is this the appropriate place where I can swear my undying love for Elli Kokkinou's songs? But I've never actually listened to her thinking of tsifteteli... And so I've got yet another excuse to listen through her cds again

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"[A good bellydancer] must express life, death, happiness, sorrow, love and anger, but above all she must have dignity." -Tahia Carioca,