The Pentozali or Pentozalis () is the trademark folk
dance
Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
of the island of
Crete
Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...
. It takes its name from the fifth (''pente'') attempt or step (ζάλος being a
Cretan Greek
Cretan Greek, or the Cretan dialect (, ), is a variety of Modern Greek spoken in Crete and by the Cretan diaspora.
Geographic distribution
The Cretan dialect is spoken by the majority of the Cretan Greeks on the island of Crete, as well as by ...
word for "step") of the Cretan people to liberate Crete from the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
. It can thus be translated as "''five-steps''". The name also contains an element of
wordplay, as ‘ζάλη’ () means dizziness, and so it may also be interpreted as a dance that can make its dancers dizzy five times over ("five-dizzy"). In fact the dance has ten steps in total.
The Cretan
violin
The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...
ist Stefanos Triantafillakis (1715–1800) is credited with composing the music for the dance in 1770–1771.
The Pentozali is a
war dance, vigorous, with high jumping movements and allows for much improvisation. It starts either at a fast pace or at a moderate pace and accelerates progressively. The dancers hold each other by the shoulders and form an incomplete circle, which rotates counterclockwise very slowly, or sometimes not at all, because most of the lively steps are semi-stationary. The first dancer is expected to improvise whilst engaging in acrobatics: they and the second dancer link hands (as opposed to laying their arms over each other's shoulders, as the other dancers in the line do) and the second dancer stands still and rigid, so that the first dancer is provided a more stable base from which to perform. Once the first dancer has finished their part, they are expected to break ranks and slowly dance their way towards the back of the line, yielding their place to the second dancer, and so on. This is thought to represent the line of succession of command in battle, if the leader is killed. Both men and women perform the dance, but the steps of the women's dance were traditionally more restrained, because their long dress did not allow for high jumps. Traditional Cretan menswear, on the other hand, facilitates acrobatic dancing as it includes the black βράκα (), a variant of
breeches
Breeches ( ) are an article of clothing covering the body from the waist down, with separate coverings for each leg, usually stopping just below the knee, though in some cases reaching to the ankles. Formerly a standard item of Western men's ...
that are worn tight around the waist and thighs and extremely baggy and loose around the hips.
Legend has it that when Turkish armies sailed to Crete in order to crush popular rebellions there, the Cretans would dance Pentozali and the Turkish would flee, fearing the dancers were demonic because of the speed and ferocity of their movement. It was even thought that it was a dance sent from God. Before battle, the Cretans danced it in order to demoralize opposing armies.
Pentozali music is instrumental: the main tune is played either on the
violin
The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...
or on the pear-shaped,
bowed
Cretan Lyra
The Cretan lyra () is a pear-shaped three-stringed Greece, Greek Violin, a traditional Greek musical instruments, musical instrument, central to the traditional music of Crete and other islands in the Dodecanese and the Aegean Islands, Aegean Ar ...
, to the accompaniment of a
Laouto, played not in a melodic but in a more percussive or rhythmic fashion. It is the soloist who usually directs the flow of the dance: he improvises to signal the first dancer to improvise too, and resumes the main tune when it is time for the first dancer to yield his place to another.
Dances vary from island to island and it has become an everyday staple of Greek culture. Every island has their own version and their own style. A version of it is also popular in the Dodecanese islands in the Aegean sea.
See also
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Byzantine music
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Greek dances
Greek dance (''choros''; ) is an 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 formed ...
*
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 ...
*
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 ...
*
Kalamatianos
The Kalamatianós (Modern Greek Συρτός Καλαματιανός ''Syrtós Kalamatianós'', but usually only called Καλαματιανός ''Kalamatianós'') is one of the best-known dances of Greece. It is a popular Greek dances, Greek fol ...
*
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 ...
*
Syrtos
References
External links
Greek Reporter article, 2021: “Pentozali: The Traditional Dance Of Crete”:
YouTube video: “kourites pentozali cretan dance manolioudis”:
{{Greek dances
Greek war dances
Group dances