“Hasapiko”
Greek Dance
This video showcases a choreography of the popular Greek dance “hasapiko”. It is danced in a straight line and is composed of 9 basic steps and a set of variations.
The Hasapiko (Greek: χασάπικο, from Turkish: kasap “butcher”) is a Greek folk dance from Constantinople. The dance originated in the Middle Ages as a battle mime with swords performed by the Greek butchers’ guild, which adopted it from the military of Byzantine era. In Constantinople during the Byzantine times, it was called in Greek μακελλάρικος χορός (makellárikos horós, “butcher’s dance”, from μακελλάρioς “butcher”). Some Greeks, however, reserve the latter term only for the fast version of the dance.
The slow version of the dance is called χασάπικο βαρύ / χασάπικος βαρύς (hasapiko vary or hasapikos varys, “heavy hasapiko”) The fast version is also called μακελλάριος χορός (makellarios horos).
Sirtaki is a relatively new, choreographed version of hasapiko. [Wikipedia]
To learn more Greek dancing, visit krikoslearning.com. Sign up to receive a free music playlist to practice the Hasapiko to.
I’m going to show you how to dance the basic steps of the Hasapiko.