Excerpt from: Typical Greek Life (click for full article)
So
Greek dancing is all about expressing emotions and telling stories.
Traditional Greek dancing had plenty of stories: some were to ensure
fertility, preparing for war, celebrating victories, overcoming
depression and even curing illnesses. They are usually named after
villages or places where they originated from.
The 'Zebekiko'
This
is a solo dance usually performed by men (eh but you get the odd
'modern' woman sneaking in these days too!). The songs that you dance
the 'Zebekiko' to (can also be called the 'vareto') are
always very passionate and often reflect struggles and broken hearts.
Hence, why it is also known as the 'drunken' dance... It's usually
performed very late into the evening (once the booze has taken full
effect, you know how it is...). The moves are generally actually very
sporadic and drunken looking and although there are some signature
moves, it is generally freestyle; just moving to your emotions. It is
always danced with an audience knelt down in a circle clapping you on
and appreciating your deep felt expressive emotions (unless you're in a
fancy dress apparently...)
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