Introduction
This is a diary of my practice.
I take the Greek folk dances Tsifteteli and zeimbekiko
Find elements in them which I isolate and name
Then, we improvise on those elements as simple movement instructions
One instruction leads to the discovery of the next one
And in due time, these improvised elements will be joined once again
To make new dance collages
Which may ease the pain
Of our millenial existence, In a Bar
Preparation before the first rehearsal
Instruction 1: Move every joint circularly, first one way and then the other/ AKA NAZIA
How can the joints not having a rotating capacity move? How does that influence the body members around them? Which joints do you think about first?
Instruction 2: Combine the rotating joints. Not necessarily the closest ones. Use your imagination
Instruction 3: Draw the words tsifteteli and zeimbekiko with these joints
Instruction 4: Keep 5 movements or combinations. See ways in which the can flow into one another. And again.
Instruction 5: Ξελίγωμα. Keep a stable point and start unraveling. Let everything fall apart in a juicy way.
Instruction 6: Accelerando. x2. x4. Diminuendo.
Instruction 7:Freeze in the middle. Cut the movement in pieces.
Reflection soli on the dances tsifteteli and zeimbekiko
I danced both dances to their “appropriate” songs, tsifteteli more successfully than zeimbekiko, the latter being difficult to dance if not in a certain mood. I then tried to draw conclusions about their characteristics/elements from my own videos.
|
TSIFTETELI |
ZEIMBEKIKO |
|
Nazia |
Feet and hand sounds/taps |
|
Turns |
Circles around a point out of you |
|
Accents on the rhythm/ contra-tempo |
Open powerful arms |
|
Micro-movements of belly and arms |
Nazia |
|
Shaking (breasts, hips) |
Turns |
|
Self-centered circles |
Releasing and catching (hence bravura) |
|
Curving arms |
Changing of levels |
|
Fixed point, more as isolation |
The head looks mostly down, can also look up |
|
From the hips up |
Introspective |
|
backbends |
|
|
Flirty |
|
After this, a new tool, after NAZIA and BACCHUS arose. IN CIRCLES, with sub-categories “around you”, “around point” (considering the dances are danced solo, otherwise around point could also be around partner).
The case of partnered dance will be considered later in time.
Then, in circles changed its name to MAYA (from the cartoon bee).
In a deconstructed moussakas, it is not as important to have aubergines, as for “them” to be fried.
