Nightclub A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a Bar (establishment), bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighti ...

s in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

are divided into two main categories: those with live

Greek music The music of Greece is as diverse and celebrated as its History of Greece, history. Greek music separates into two parts: Greek folk music, Greek traditional music and Byzantine music. These compositions have existed for millennia: they originat ...

, and

discotheque A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighting displays, and ...

s or bars playing recorded Greek, American or European music.

Bouzoukia

Dances At bouzoukia the guests go to the stage and dance along with the singers. There are many types of dances danced at bouzoukia like:

Nisiotika Nisiotika (, meaning "insular (songs)") are the songs and dances of the Aegean islands with a variety of styles. Outside of Greece, it is played in the diaspora in countries such as Turkey, Australia, the United States and elsewhere. The lyre is ...

, zeimpekiko,

Sirtaki Sirtaki or syrtaki () is a dance of Greek origin, choreographed for the 1964 film '' Zorba the Greek''. It is a recent Greek folkdance, and a mixture of " syrtos" and the slow and fast rhythms of the hasapiko dance. The dance and the accompa ...

, Tsifteteli,

Greek folk music Greek traditional music (, , 'traditional music'; also , , 'folk songs') includes a variety of Culture of Greece, Greek styles played by Greek people, ethnic Greeks in Greece, Cyprus, Australia, the United States and other parts of Europe. Apar ...

dance etc. Many Greek dances are also often danced on the table tops while the other guests clapping. and throwing flowers at the dancer.
Notis sfakianakis at bouzoukia

Nightclubs that feature laïkó music in Greece are popularly called bouzoukia (deriving from the plural of the main Greek instrument

bouzouki The bouzouki (, also ; ; alt. pl. ''bouzoukia'', , from Greek , from Turkish ) is a musical instrument popular in West Asia (Syria, Iraq), Europe and Balkans (Greece, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey). It is a member of the long-necked lute fam ...

). They typically have a raised stage ("pista") where singers, dancers and musicians perform, and a series of closely spaced long tables at right angles to the stage so that every guest can see the show. As there is little space between the tables, customers and waiters have trouble moving around. Food is available, but rarely ordered, since the customers usually limit their consumption to

alcoholic beverages Drinks containing alcohol are typically divided into three classes—beers, wines, and spirits—with alcohol content typically between 3% and 50%. Drinks with less than 0.5% are sometimes considered non-alcoholic. Many societies have a di ...

with assorted nuts or raw vegetables. Whole tables are reserved days earlier, especially when the singers are popular, and the customers are expected to spend in proportion to the prominence of their table's position. The best tables are immediately adjacent to the stage and in the center ("proto trapezi pista"), and are always reserved for rich and famous (i.e. high-spending) customers. Throwing plates at the performer's feet was a practice popular until the 1970s when " plate smashing" was forbidden by law. Today it happens rarely, despite the belief of some foreigners that it is a widespread Greek custom. Throwing flowers or other items that will not cause injury (e.g. napkins) has become more common. Flowers are sold separately by the club's "wardrobe" in trays or baskets of ten or twenty pieces and are thrown en masse on artists, singers, dancers, and other spectators (quite often along with the trays, or even in piles of many trays). They are also used as a means for courtship and

flirt Flirting or coquetry is a social and sexual behavior involving body language, or spoken or written communication between humans. It is used to suggest interest in a deeper relationship with another person and for amusement. Flirting can change ...

ing. The lion's share of the bill is usually spent on flowers, with alcohol making up the rest. It is quite common for elite customers to spend thousands of euros at the top clubs, and is widely regarded as a status symbol. Many prominent Greeks were known for their habit of visiting bouzoukia, notably the late tycoon

Aristotle Onassis Aristotle Socrates Onassis (, ; , ; 20 January 1906 – 15 March 1975) was a Greek and Argentine business magnate. He amassed the world's largest privately-owned shipping fleet and was one of the world's richest and most famous men. He was marri ...

, and the former Prime Minister

Andreas Papandreou Andreas Georgiou Papandreou (, ; 5 February 1919 – 23 June 1996) was a Greek academic and economist who founded the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) and served three terms as Prime minister of Greece, prime minister of Third Hellenic Repu ...

. Pop music genres began activity in

in the late 20th century, however, for the most part artists active in these genres performed mostly at similar venues. In the late 20th century, new nightclubs became more prominent to accommodate more pop programs, thus instead of tables and meals the set up is more like a typical dance club or small concert venue to be more interactive. These venues are less prominent as very few artists would be able to fit into this category of musicians in Greece and traditional practices such as serving alcohol and throwing flowers are still maintained.

References

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Entertainment in Greece Music of Greece

Bouzoukia

See also

References