Skip to content

Dance, instrument, costume, region…

Music Discover Favourites Ελληνικά

Historical homeland Ctrl + scroll (or click the map first) to zoom Map data: geoBoundaries, Natural Earth

Crete

Κρήτη

22 dances · 23 from the archive

Angaliastos Αγκαλιαστός 2/4 · A line of dancers, each holding the one in front as if in an embrace; the line passes under "arches" and winds around.
Anogianos pidichtos Ανωγειανός πηδηχτός 2/4 · Men's circle with a crossed hold; six steps forward and six back.
Apanomeritis Απανωμερίτης 2/4 · Circle, palms joined with arms held low (or crossed, pointing down).
Gitsikia sousta Γιτσικιά σούστα 2/4 · Circle, palms joined at shoulder height with elbows bent.

Cretan music is built on the lyra or the violin (especially in the west and in Sitia) with the laouto, and the askomantoura bagpipe in the mountains, while improvised couplets, mantinades, are sung over the dances. The syrtos, pentozali, maleviziotis, sousta and siganos became pan-Cretan; alongside them every district has its own, such as the Steiakos, the priniotis or the apanomeritis. The leaping (pidichtos) dances are lively, with a leader who improvises leaps, crouches and slaps on the legs.

Sub-areas

From here

Also danced here

Kalamatianos Καλαματιανός 7/8 · Medium · Open circle, mixed, hands joined at shoulder height with elbows bent; the leader often holds the second dancer by a handkerchief and improvises. also danced here video + song

From the archive 23

Sources