Zeibekiko

Music of Greece
General topics
	Ancient music; Byzantine music; Opera; Greek musical system; Greek musical instruments; Greek dances; Worldwide;
Genres
	Church music (Byzantine); Classical music Ionian School; National School; ; Greek folk; Laïko; Rock; Hip Hop; Punk; Neo kyma; Éntekhno;
Specific forms
	Contemporary; Entehno; Nisiotika; Rebetiko; Skiladiko;
Media and performance
Music awards	Arion Awards; MAD Video Music Awards;
Music charts	Greek Albums Chart; Foreign Albums Chart; Singles Chart;
Music festivals	Athens Festival; Epidaurus Festival; Olympus Festival; Thessaloniki Song Festival;
Music media	MAD TV (MAD World); MTV Greece;
Nationalistic and patriotic songs
National anthem	"Hymn to Liberty"
Regional music
Related areas	Cyprus, Pontus, Constantinople, South Italy
Regional styles	Aegean Islands; Crete; Epirus (polyphonic song); Ionian Islands; Macedonia; Peloponnese; Thessaly; Thrace;

Zeibekiko (Greek: Ζεϊμπέκικο) is a Greek folk dance.

Origin and history

It takes its name from the Zeybeks, an irregular militia living in the Aegean Region of the Ottoman Empire from late 17th to early 20th centuries.^[1] It was first seen at the end of the 17th century in cities such as Constantinople and Smyrni. Evliya Çelebi mentions in his writings that it was danced in Magnesia and in Aydın at local feasts.^[2] Originally a dance for two armed people facing one another, it developed into an improvised dance for a single male.^[3]

After the population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1922, the dance became popular also in mainland Greece, in many songs of Laiko music.

Characteristics

The Zeibekiko usually has a rhythmic pattern of ⁹
₄^[4] or else ⁹
₈. It is most commonly broken down as:

$\new DrumStaff \with{ \override StaffSymbol.line-count = #1 } \drummode { \time 9/8 { cl8[ cl16 cl16] cl8[ cl8] cl8[ cl16 cl16] cl8 cl8 cl8 } }$

or as:

$\new DrumStaff \with{ \override StaffSymbol.line-count = #1 } \drummode { \time 9/8 { cl16[ cl8 cl16] cl8[ cl8] cl16[ cl8 cl16] cl8 cl8 cl8 } }$

The Zeibeikiko, as an old dance, is strictly for males. Due to the movements of the dancer, it is sometimes known as the "eagle dance".^[5] The dance has no set steps, only certain figures and a circular movement. It takes place in an area little surpassing one square metre and mostly consists of improvised movements.^[6]

Occasionally dancers perform feats such as standing on a glass of wine or a chair or fireplace, or picking up a table, adding a sense of a little braggadocio and humor.^[7]

References

^ Babiniotis, Georgios D. (2002). Lexiko Tis Neas Ellinikis Glossas (2nd ed.). Athens: Kentro Lexikologias. p. 707. ISBN 960-86190-1-7.
^ Πάλλης, Α. (1941). Σελίδες της παλιάς γενιτσάρικης Τουρκίας. Athens: Εκάτη. p. 231.
^ Tyrovola, V. (1994). "The evolutionary process of the dynamics of popular urban culture: The case of Zeibekiko dance". Proceedings of the 17th Symposium of the Study Group of Ethnoarchaeology: 107–113.
^ Kilpatrick, David. "Ethnomusicology", Vol. 6, No. 3, Canadian Issue (Sep., 1972), p. 577.
^ McGinnis, Maura (2004). Greece : a primary source cultural guide (1st ed.). New York: Rosen Pub. Group. ISBN 978-0823939992.
^ Holst, Gail (1994). Road to rembetika : music of a Greek sub-culture : songs of love, sorrow, and hashish (Reprinted with amendments 1994. ed.). Athens: D. Harvey. p. 268. ISBN 978-9607120076.
^ Many authors. Ζεϊμπέκικος. Pandect: The World of Greek Dance (in Greek). Retrieved 19 June 2013.

[1] Babiniotis, Georgios D. (2002). Lexiko Tis Neas Ellinikis Glossas (2nd ed.). Athens: Kentro Lexikologias. p. 707. ISBN 960-86190-1-7.

[2] Πάλλης, Α. (1941). Σελίδες της παλιάς γενιτσάρικης Τουρκίας. Athens: Εκάτη. p. 231.

[3] Tyrovola, V. (1994). "The evolutionary process of the dynamics of popular urban culture: The case of Zeibekiko dance". Proceedings of the 17th Symposium of the Study Group of Ethnoarchaeology: 107–113.

[4] Kilpatrick, David. "Ethnomusicology", Vol. 6, No. 3, Canadian Issue (Sep., 1972), p. 577.

[5] McGinnis, Maura (2004). Greece : a primary source cultural guide (1st ed.). New York: Rosen Pub. Group. ISBN 978-0823939992.

[6] Holst, Gail (1994). Road to rembetika : music of a Greek sub-culture : songs of love, sorrow, and hashish (Reprinted with amendments 1994. ed.). Athens: D. Harvey. p. 268. ISBN 978-9607120076.

[7] Many authors. Ζεϊμπέκικος. Pandect: The World of Greek Dance (in Greek). Retrieved 19 June 2013.

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Music of Greece

General topics
Ancient music Byzantine music Opera Greek musical system Greek musical instruments Greek dances Worldwide
Genres
Church music (Byzantine) Classical music Ionian School National School Greek folk Laïko Rock Hip Hop Punk Neo kyma Éntekhno
Specific forms
Contemporary Entehno Nisiotika Rebetiko Skiladiko
Media and performance
Music awards	Arion Awards MAD Video Music Awards
Music charts	Greek Albums Chart Foreign Albums Chart Singles Chart
Music festivals	Athens Festival Epidaurus Festival Olympus Festival Thessaloniki Song Festival
Music media	MAD TV (MAD World) MTV Greece
Nationalistic and patriotic songs
National anthem	"Hymn to Liberty"
Regional music
Related areas	Cyprus, Pontus, Constantinople, South Italy
Regional styles	Aegean Islands Crete Epirus (polyphonic song) Ionian Islands Macedonia Peloponnese Thessaly Thrace

Zeibekiko

Origin and history

Characteristics

See also

References