Zeybeks
Zeybeks, sometimes spelled as Zeibeks ( el, Ζεϊμπέκοι ''Zeibekoi''; ota, زیبك, zeybek), were irregular militia and guerrilla fighters living in West Anatolia from late 17th to early 20th centuries.
History
The origins of Zeybe ...
, an irregular militia living in the
Aegean Region
The Aegean Region () is one of the 7 geographical regions of Turkey. The largest city in the region is İzmir. Other big cities are Manisa, Aydın, Denizli, Muğla, Afyonkarahisar and Kütahya.
Located in western Turkey, it is bordered b ...
of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
from late 17th to early 20th centuries. It was first seen at the end of the 17th century in cities such as
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth ( Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
Evliya Çelebi
Derviş Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi ( ota, اوليا چلبى), was an Ottoman explorer who travelled through the territory of the Ottoman Empire and neighboring lands over a period of forty years, recording h ...
mentions in his writings that it was danced in Magnesia and in
Aydın
Aydın ( ''EYE-din''; ; formerly named ''Güzelhisar'', Ancient and Modern Greek: Τράλλεις /''Tralleis''/) is a city in and the seat of Aydın Province in Turkey's Aegean Region. The city is located at the heart of the lower valley of ...
at local feasts. Originally a dance for two armed people facing one another, it developed into an improvised dance for a single male.
After the population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1922, the dance became popular also in mainland Greece, in many songs of '' Laiko'' music.
Characteristics
The Zeibekiko usually has a rhythmic pattern of or else . It is most commonly broken down as:
\new DrumStaff \with
\drummode
or as:
\new DrumStaff \with
\drummode
The Zeibeikiko, as an old dance, is strictly for males. Due to the movements of the dancer, it is sometimes known as the "eagle dance". The dance has no set steps, only certain figures and a circular movement. It takes place in an area little surpassing one square metre and mostly consists of improvised movements.
Occasionally dancers perform feats such as standing on a glass of wine or a chair or fireplace, or picking up a table, adding a sense of a little braggadocio and
humor
Humour ( Commonwealth English) or humor (American English) is the tendency of experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. The term derives from the humoral medicine of the ancient Greeks, which taught that the balance of fluids ...
.
See also
*
Antikristos
Antikristos or Antikrystós ( el, αντικρυστός χορός) is a dance of Greek origin. “Aντικρυστός” in Greek language refers to the verb αντικρύζω “be across, opposite, face-to-face” (from Ancient Greek � ...
*
Bouzouki
The bouzouki (, also ; el, μπουζούκι ; alt. pl. ''bouzoukia'', from Greek ), also spelled buzuki or buzuci, is a musical instrument popular in Greece. It is a member of the long-necked lute family, with a round body with a flat top and ...
*
Greek dances
Greek dance (''choros'') is a very old tradition, being referred to by authors such as Plato, Aristotle, Plutarch and Lucian. There are different styles and interpretations from all of the islands and surrounding mainland areas. Each region forme ...
*
Hasapiko
The hasapiko ( el, χασάπικο, , meaning “the butcher's ance��) is a Greek folk dance from Constantinople. The dance originated in the Middle Ages as a battle mime with swords performed by the Greek butchers' guild, which adopted it ...
Rebetiko
Rebetiko ( el, ρεμπέτικο, ), plural rebetika ( ), occasionally transliterated as rembetiko or rebetico, is a term used today to designate originally disparate kinds of urban Greek music which have come to be grouped together since the s ...
*
Kamilierikos
Kamilierikos ( el, καμηλιέρικος χορός) or kamilieriko, is a kind of a Greek traditional dance, similar to fast zeibekiko and antikristos. Like zeibekiko, Kamilierikos is again in "9/8" signature Zeibekiko of Evdokia
* Zeibeks
*
Zeybek dance
The zeybek is a Turkish folk dance particular to much of Anatolia, named after the Zeybeks and related to the Greek dance zeibekiko.
The dance is hierarchic, with a group of companions performing it while wearing a particular decorative costume a ...