Byzantine dance
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[edit] History
Greek Dance in Antiquity was originally held to have some kind of educational value, as evidenced in Plato's dialogues on this point in The Laws. However, as Greek culture gradually conquered Rome, dancing lost most of its educational value and was simply used as a method of entertainment, this coincided with the perception that being a dancer was not a particularly admirable job to have, and that its performers were generally of low social status.
The influence of Christianity too, in the Greek continuation of the Roman Empire in the east, sought to ban dance and condemned it for its pagan origins, however as The Church gradually began to realise that concessions had to be made to those vast number of Greeks who had converted from Paganism to Christianity, and began to render dance acceptable, thus the church fathers found ways to 'baptize' dance by refining and spiritualizing it, just as they had found ways to give a Christian interpretation to pre-Christian myths and symbols. These points highlight an overall principle concerning the History of Greek dancing, emphasizing the continuity between not only Classical and Byzantine times, but also the connection between Byzantine dance and modern Greek dance, following the adoption of many Byzantine traits and customs by the Ottomans.
[edit] Types of dance
The dances that won the approval of the church fathers were group dances, typically processions or circles in which men, separated from women, performed solemn decorous movements in the fear of God. However, the information on dancing at this period is very scarce. Actually, since the Byzantine art is mainly ecclesiastical, the references to dance are rare. Some images from the byzantine and meta-byzantine dances have been saved on sculptures, miniatures, manuscripts but mainly church murals in between religious subjects.
In his book Life and Culture of the Byzantines, Phaidon Koukoules has assembled all known references to dance in texts of that time. From his writings, we learn that there were women’s dances on Easter, nocturnal satirical dances in disguise on the Kalends, dances by itinerant bands of young men on the Roussalia. There were certainly dances at weddings, in taverns and in banquets. The wealthy invited professional harpists and youths and maidens to dance, being especially appreciated for their bodily agility and deft footwork. Dance spectacles staged in the theater in the accompaniment of flute and quitar are also mentioned.
In Constantinople, important events were celebrated with large public dances. On the return of the victorious Byzantine army, for instance, the citizens thronged the streets, danced with the soldiers and shouted in jubilation. There are instances recorded of people dancing inside the church, on Easter and Christmas, after Patriarch Theophylactos had granted his permission. Other times they danced and sang extemporized songs, making fun of the emperor. The soldiers danced as part of their drill and danced after maneuvers for amusement. The charioteers danced in the Hippodrome when they won their races and, the sailors danced an unmanly dance, full of twists and turns, as if imitating the spirals of the labyrinth.
Though we have so few descriptions of Byzantine dances, we know that they were often 'intertwined'. The leader of the dance was called the koryphaios or chorolektes and it was he who began the song and made sure that the circle was maintained. Efstathios of Thessaloniki mentions a dance which commenced in a circle and ended with the dancers facing one another. When not dancing in a circle the dancers held their hands high or waved them to left and right. They held cymbals (very like the zilia of today) or a kerchief in their hands and their movements were emphasized by their long sleeves. As they danced, they sang, either set songs or extemporized ones, sometimes in unison, sometimes in refrain, repeating the verse sung by the lead dancer. The onlookers joined in, clapping the rhythm or singing. Professional singers, often the musicians themselves, composed lyrics to suit the occasion.
[edit] Popular Dances
Popular dances of this period were:
- Syrtos.
- Geranos.
- Mantilia.
- Saximos.
- Pyrichios.
- Kordakas.
[edit] Instruments
Byzantine instruments included the:
- Guitar.
- Single, double or multiple flute.
- Sistrum.
- Timpani (drum).
- Psaltirio.
- Lyre.
- Keras.
- Kanonaki.
[edit] Sources
- Life and Culture of the Byzantines, Phaidon Koukoules.
- Medieval Byzantine Dance in Sacred and Secular Places, Archaelogia and Techne (March 2004).
