If you’ve seen the film “Zorba the Greek”, you’d recognise the song “Zorba”, and possibly the dance known as Syrtaki (also spelled Sirtaki). The song was composed by Mikis Theodorakis and the dance choreographed by Giorgos Provias for the 1964 film. The song has been used in many films and television series, and is highly recognizable, even if you’ve never seen the film for which it was created. It is often danced even during Greek festivals and performances, and in Greek tavernas (Greek restaurant).
The routine itself is awesome, and looks super fun to do…
…plus it takes no shortage of skill to pull off!
This troupe of Polish dancers however, are able to add a unique twist to the routine.
While there are a few traditional moved from the Greek style, there are a few wee Polish additions as well. Their performance is seriously impressive and their dancing capabilities are well suited to such a technical dance.
The dance starts off fairly slow.
With a lot of footwork and steady stepping, the lads move around the stage, but perfectly in time. They must have rehearsed for many hours to get their movements so in-sync and so clean. And just because the pace is slow doesn’t make it easier! The dance is still highly technical, with crossing feet over each other and swinging legs back and forth it would be all too easy to trip yourself up!
As the song picks up, they move out of their straight lineup position and begin to move around the stage a bit more.
Now we’re really getting somewhere! The first of the boys breaks from the line and takes his time in the spotlight. He starts off his bit by showing off some fancy footwork before turning into some impressive spins. I know I’d be dizzy after two of those, so props to this guy for staying upright after so many revolutions!
Next is a traditional Greek move.
This next move needs two participants because, well…you’d fall over otherwise! Two people interlock their right legs and spin around each other while leaning back. Again, how they don’t end up falling all over the place will forever remain a mystery to me. This is one seriously cool move, and a good one to pull out at Da Club to wow the crowds… if you’ve got plenty of space on the dance-floor that is!
But here’s the Polish move we’ve all been waiting for!
Similar to Russian styles of dance, we might associate this with a Cossack leg kick move. One thing is for sure, it’s super impressive. Put this one in your back pocket for the next dance-battle you end up in, because it’s sure to end the competition right then and there.
Throughout the song the dance speeds up and gains energy.
The dancers pick up the pace and raise the stakes as they dance as well. The dance gains energy and the moves become more expressive and ambitious.
Be sure two get a couple of pals to join you with this one next time you’ve got to top the Macarena!
Watch the full video below to be wowed by these impressive steppers!
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