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Cretan dances and songs
There are many dances, with even more variations, although some are only danced in a certain region or village. The main categories are :
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Kastrinos (or maleviziotis) |
A dance from the Heraklion region, characterized by its fast rhythm and small steps. |
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Pentozalis |
This dance is performed all over Crete. As its name implies, there are five steps. It is a quick and energetic dance and everyone, dancers and onlookers alike , joins in the impetuous force of the dance. |
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Sousta |
Although this, too, is danced all over Crete, it is basically a dance from Rethymnon. One school of thought is that it is derived from the martial Phyrric dance of the ancient Greeks. It is danced by men and women in couples and demands suppleness and grace, skill and imagination. |
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Syrtos or Chaniotikos |
This is a dance with small, regular,rhythmical steps and the leading dancer has an opportunity to carry out spectacular steps. |
Cretan music has a character of its own and its roots are lost in the long history of the island. The tonic range is limited but the richness of the songs reflects the depths of the Cretan spirit, full of energy, tenderness, love and humor.
Cretan songs may be divided into a) Mantinades, b) Rizitica and c) Satirical, historical-narrative, and love songs.
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Mantinades |
These have always been the most popular Cretan songs. They consist of simple but comprehensive couplets, with few words and epigrammatic expression of feeligns, accurate and pointed when in satirical mood, philosophical and deep at other times.They deal with all subjects: the love of life,the pain of death,gallantry, love,etc and they form a completely genuiene folk creation. |
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Rizitika |
These are songs from the region of the White Mountains (their name comes from the word < rizes >= the roots. Nobody knows when or how they took their present form which is an excellent example of Cretan folk poetry.They are usually 15 syllabled and do not rhyme and have many themes:heroic,romantic,historic,etc. They divided into Tavla songs sung at the table,during a meal, and Strata songs sung while travelling, on the march. The songs of the Tavla are long, with many stanzas and today they are rarely sung in their entirety. The songs of Strata are no longer sung and are being forgotten and lost as time passes. |
