The Tsakonian Dance

The Tsakonian Dance is as old as the Tsakonian Dialect. Its twists and turns have remained unchanged through the centuries. Its steps measure time with accuracy and dignity. The tempo is making people move strictly to the pace of time. The dancers hold each others’ arms tightly creating an unbreakable circle. There is a theory that in Kynouria this dance was an act of worship dedicated to the fierce maiden goddess, Artemis.

The Tsakonian Dance is a circular dance and it sometimes forms artful spirals which bring sacred murals and purple colored friezes to mind. Certain researchers relate the dance to the Crane dance, the dance of Theseus, based on the dramatic development of the steps that seem to lead towards the exit of a labyrinth. Another interesting theory states that the Tsakonian dance with its snake-like twirls depicts the battle of Apollo with the Python, the ancient chthonic snake. The face-to-face stance of the first dancer with the second dancer reflects this exact hypnotic battle of wills between the God and the snake.

Certainly it is a sacred dance which has crossed the centuries with its circular steps. Its strictness references to a religious troupe during a sacred act rather than a common folk dance.