#pentozali

A study conducted by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki a few years ago extolled the benefits of Greek dancing. It found that those suffering from chronic heart failure who took up Greek dancing developed stronger legs and could walk further and jump higher than the sedentary group.

But Greek dancing is more than just about exercise.

A communal affair associated with joy and celebration, dancing brings people closer together and helps forge friendships and bonds among the dancers. Performed at weddings, baptisms, births and festivals, the goal of the Greek dances is to bring joy and unity.

Apart from the social element involved in joining a circle of dance, there’s a lot more to learn from the 4,000 traditional dances believed to exist. They teach us about our traditions and heritage. By studying local dances we gain greater insight into Greece’s development, history and geography.

The rhythm, beat and pattern of steps involved in the dances also help children’s mental and physical development, while also helping the aged delay memory loss and a decline in cognitive functions.

Several are the traditions that characterize the different regions of Greece, as well as its people and its culture. Culinary traditions go hand in hand with folkloristic expressions that represent the soul and the love of the people for their land. Among them, dance and music have a prominent place. In Crete, the trademark folk dance is the Pentozali or Pentozalis (Πεντοζάλης).

The dance’s name comes from the combination of the words fifth (penti) and step (zalos, Cretan for step), therefore the dance can be translated as “five steps”; and even while zali can also stand for “dizziness”, indicating a dance that would make dancers five times dizzy, the Pentozali symbolizes the fifth zeal (that is, the step), that is the fifth attempt of the Greeks to liberate themselves from the Turks.

For dance day!