Macheria, the knife dance (Pitsak)

Rhythm

Fast

Formation

Two men facing each other, holding knives.

Difficulty

Hard

Instruments

Pontic lyra, Daouli (drum)

Occasion

Village festival, Gathering

Character

• Energetic
• Joyful

Who dances it: Couples

An armed dance for two men who hold knives and improvise a mock fight of attack and defence. It often closes the serra: the two dancers with the most stamina leave the circle and carry on with knives. Its plot recalls the armed dance Xenophon describes at Kotyora in Pontus; it used to end in a mock death, while today the dancers throw down the knives and embrace.

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Its story

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What they wear

• Women’s festive costume Pontus Women’s
• Men’s festive costume Pontus Men’s

Where it’s danced

• Pontus · origin
• Central Greece & Attica · brought by refugees
• Macedonia › Thessaloniki · brought by refugees
• Macedonia › Imathia · brought by refugees
• Macedonia › Kilkis · brought by refugees

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