By Anna Lazou
The Theatre of Greek Dances “Dora Stratou”, the “Living Museum” of Greek Dance is the personal vision andresult of long time efforts of its founder Dora Stratou – since 1950 – while today it gives the opportunity of dance education -of national and global amplitude – for thousands of visitors and trainees. The theatre is sponsored annually by Greek organizations mainly for culture and tourism; thanks to Dora Stratou continuers, its President since 1987, Alkis Raftis, the secretarial personnel and its Association active members, the theatre constitutes a significant and worldwide recognized cultural and research centre.
The promotion of the historical sources and continuity of Greek traditional dances since antiquity has been a primary concern of Dora Stratou's investigation. This aim is being realized nowadays by hundreds of researchers, teachers and dancers in Greece and abroad. D. Stratou was writing in 1964: “..... Our traditional dances and songs are of significant value....... Our history found its expression through this treasure that no conqueror could take away. And the inalienable heritage that our people carried inside them became their Muse... In our national dances, their expression, their movement, their musical rhythm, we find the thread connecting us with the ancient texts, the ancient musical scales, ancient meters, the painting of ancient vases, byzantine wall paintings, with byzantine music” (D. Stratou “A tradition, an adventure”, April, 1964).
Dance in Ancient Greece was a deep and multiplicate phenomenon. We should speak about a variety of dances when referring to periods of Ancient Greek Dance. As to the reconstruction of the morphological elements of ancient dances, while many cohesive links of information are missing, it is though possible to combine the evidence of all visual and imaging data and conform a satisfactory picture of the essence, value and variety of the dancing activity of Ancient Greeks. Movement according to a rhythmical pattern and accompanied by a melody was a part of a wide range of events during their life, including religious cult – rituals and processions in honor of the gods – educational and athletic activity of the young people, entertainment in the cities, theatrical performances of dramas (tragedy, comedy and satirical drama) based on dance: group orchesis (dancing) with chanting as a constituent part of drama.
Gradually our knowledge of the role and position of dance in ancient Greece has been enriched due to the systematic research as in every sort of philological source there is to be found a plurality of direct or indirect references to dance. From the Lyric and Choric poetry a lot of information is derived about the kinds of dances, while we learn a lot from the historical texts about specific dance patterns. Of catalytic importance for the study of ancient dance are the surviving iconography and the corresponding sources (vases, mosaic, reliefs, wall paintings, coins and statues) providing us with information about forms of dance and their evolution from the archaic period up to the roman and byzantine times.
In particular, the meticulousness and attention to detail has preserved many potters in the form of many dance movements, which would have complete ignorance because there is little information on dance steps described or depicted. Outdoor and urban dances, martial or purificatory, of aesthetic or social type, from Homer to Lucian have been the characteristic of a spiritual culture that was imitated and continues to be subject to interpretation and understanding from the perspective of various disciplines.
We may distinguish the dancing figures of antiquity on the basis of their shape: As the first figure in the history of dance we can locate the circle, followed by dancing in line - series, as in an example from the Museum of Argos from the archaic period, where two dancers move one behind the other. We also have dances which combine lines - contrasting dances, parallel, etc. in lines, as in an example from Egypt, or even dancing in curves; we still have dance in pairs, and finally should mention individual dances - solo dances, i.e. performed by a single dancer. It is not excluded that small solo dance groups are combined with dance groups mentioned above. So a circular dance for example could involve a dancer who had to be cut off from the rest of the team and dance by himself. The famous "Kyvistitires" that Homer's Iliad refers to as revolving in the center of the dance, is a typical example.
On the basis of their operation and their broader context the dances may also be divided into: - religious dances, dances in a religious ceremony in honor of a deity. - dances associated with the change of seasons and the land, vine harvest, harvesting etc. - war dances that accompanied most times with similar weapons. - dances that were performed in rendering of the dead, as depicted on vases of the Geometric period. - acrobatic dances, with special skills required by the dancer. - dances which were held during any festive event without being associated with a deity or a seasonal change, as in a mosaic from Argos. - dances that were performed at banquets. - dances related to ceremonies transitions from childhood to adolescence, from adolescence to adulthood etc.. In the same category we may integrate and dances that were performed at weddings.
The modern era more particularly, as to the valuation of the ancient dance, not only is no exception compared to the attention of thinkers and artists of previous centuries, but it gives us the impression that an outbreak has occurred both in the theoretical investigation of ancient Greek dance as well as in terms of the effects of this research and of the idea of ancient Greek dance in the field of artistic applications. The appearance of Isadora Duncan and the development of the ideal of free dance in the 20th century, after her pioneering work, are signaling the exception of dance interest in the early centuries of the specified forms of ballet and ethnic dances to freedom of movement, the "cult of plastic, tangible beauty" ("The Art and Meaning of Isadora Duncan") and finally the subjectivity of the artists who created on this level and the originality of their choices.
In conclusion, the ancient Greek dances are forms of dance and specific dance models. The importance of ancient Greek dance, as well as of Greek traditional dance, lies not only in the interest of the variable and high aesthetic morphology and structure, but basically in their functional role and the values underlying public activities: purifying rituals, artistic events, educational events and processes of social cohesion and personal expression.
The Theatre of Greek Dances “Dora Stratou”, the “Living Museum” of Greek Dance is the personal vision andresult of long time efforts of its founder Dora Stratou – since 1950 – while today it gives the opportunity of dance education -of national and global amplitude – for thousands of visitors and trainees. The theatre is sponsored annually by Greek organizations mainly for culture and tourism; thanks to Dora Stratou continuers, its President since 1987, Alkis Raftis, the secretarial personnel and its Association active members, the theatre constitutes a significant and worldwide recognized cultural and research centre.
The promotion of the historical sources and continuity of Greek traditional dances since antiquity has been a primary concern of Dora Stratou's investigation. This aim is being realized nowadays by hundreds of researchers, teachers and dancers in Greece and abroad. D. Stratou was writing in 1964: “..... Our traditional dances and songs are of significant value....... Our history found its expression through this treasure that no conqueror could take away. And the inalienable heritage that our people carried inside them became their Muse... In our national dances, their expression, their movement, their musical rhythm, we find the thread connecting us with the ancient texts, the ancient musical scales, ancient meters, the painting of ancient vases, byzantine wall paintings, with byzantine music” (D. Stratou “A tradition, an adventure”, April, 1964).
Dance in Ancient Greece was a deep and multiplicate phenomenon. We should speak about a variety of dances when referring to periods of Ancient Greek Dance. As to the reconstruction of the morphological elements of ancient dances, while many cohesive links of information are missing, it is though possible to combine the evidence of all visual and imaging data and conform a satisfactory picture of the essence, value and variety of the dancing activity of Ancient Greeks. Movement according to a rhythmical pattern and accompanied by a melody was a part of a wide range of events during their life, including religious cult – rituals and processions in honor of the gods – educational and athletic activity of the young people, entertainment in the cities, theatrical performances of dramas (tragedy, comedy and satirical drama) based on dance: group orchesis (dancing) with chanting as a constituent part of drama.
Gradually our knowledge of the role and position of dance in ancient Greece has been enriched due to the systematic research as in every sort of philological source there is to be found a plurality of direct or indirect references to dance. From the Lyric and Choric poetry a lot of information is derived about the kinds of dances, while we learn a lot from the historical texts about specific dance patterns. Of catalytic importance for the study of ancient dance are the surviving iconography and the corresponding sources (vases, mosaic, reliefs, wall paintings, coins and statues) providing us with information about forms of dance and their evolution from the archaic period up to the roman and byzantine times.
In particular, the meticulousness and attention to detail has preserved many potters in the form of many dance movements, which would have complete ignorance because there is little information on dance steps described or depicted. Outdoor and urban dances, martial or purificatory, of aesthetic or social type, from Homer to Lucian have been the characteristic of a spiritual culture that was imitated and continues to be subject to interpretation and understanding from the perspective of various disciplines.
We may distinguish the dancing figures of antiquity on the basis of their shape: As the first figure in the history of dance we can locate the circle, followed by dancing in line - series, as in an example from the Museum of Argos from the archaic period, where two dancers move one behind the other. We also have dances which combine lines - contrasting dances, parallel, etc. in lines, as in an example from Egypt, or even dancing in curves; we still have dance in pairs, and finally should mention individual dances - solo dances, i.e. performed by a single dancer. It is not excluded that small solo dance groups are combined with dance groups mentioned above. So a circular dance for example could involve a dancer who had to be cut off from the rest of the team and dance by himself. The famous "Kyvistitires" that Homer's Iliad refers to as revolving in the center of the dance, is a typical example.
On the basis of their operation and their broader context the dances may also be divided into: - religious dances, dances in a religious ceremony in honor of a deity. - dances associated with the change of seasons and the land, vine harvest, harvesting etc. - war dances that accompanied most times with similar weapons. - dances that were performed in rendering of the dead, as depicted on vases of the Geometric period. - acrobatic dances, with special skills required by the dancer. - dances which were held during any festive event without being associated with a deity or a seasonal change, as in a mosaic from Argos. - dances that were performed at banquets. - dances related to ceremonies transitions from childhood to adolescence, from adolescence to adulthood etc.. In the same category we may integrate and dances that were performed at weddings.
The modern era more particularly, as to the valuation of the ancient dance, not only is no exception compared to the attention of thinkers and artists of previous centuries, but it gives us the impression that an outbreak has occurred both in the theoretical investigation of ancient Greek dance as well as in terms of the effects of this research and of the idea of ancient Greek dance in the field of artistic applications. The appearance of Isadora Duncan and the development of the ideal of free dance in the 20th century, after her pioneering work, are signaling the exception of dance interest in the early centuries of the specified forms of ballet and ethnic dances to freedom of movement, the "cult of plastic, tangible beauty" ("The Art and Meaning of Isadora Duncan") and finally the subjectivity of the artists who created on this level and the originality of their choices.
In conclusion, the ancient Greek dances are forms of dance and specific dance models. The importance of ancient Greek dance, as well as of Greek traditional dance, lies not only in the interest of the variable and high aesthetic morphology and structure, but basically in their functional role and the values underlying public activities: purifying rituals, artistic events, educational events and processes of social cohesion and personal expression.
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