Cyprus Dance and MusicCyprus dance and music take precedent over most pastimes on the island. The Cypriots love to dance, and take every opportunity to do so! Much of Cyprus dance is about improvisation and freedom, although there are plenty of traditional dances where the steps are set in stone. Most folk dances are taught through generations and tell a story, often about love – most Cyprus songs are about love!
Cyprus folk dancing costumes are very similar to those of Greece and Turkey, and the womens' costumes usually incorporate a head-dress. During your time in Cyprus, you can watch and take part in Cyprus dance at many hotels (many have themed Cypriot nights), or at various Cyprus festivals. If you are lucky, you may even have the chance to experience traditional dancing at a wedding or other social occasion! Turkish Belly DanceBelly Dancing is a big passion of mine and I love practising and performing the Cypriot style. In Cyprus, belly dancing is more heavily influenced by the rhythms, beats and moves from Turkey than those from Egypt.It is most popular and most widely performed professionally in North Cyprus and is known to the world as Turkish belly dance although it also used by Greek Cypriots. Both Greek and Turkish Cypriots refer to the dance as ‘Tsitetelli’. Turkish belly dance costumes are much more revealing than the Egyptian ones, as they are allowed to be. The Turkish belly dance style is a lot more flirty and free than the Egyptian style but it doesn’t make it any less graceful or elegant. One of the most famous Turkish belly dancers is Nesrin Topkapi, who is known for her poise and almost ballet-like style.
Learn How to Belly Dance Like a Cypriot
Keep the lifted leg slighty bended at the knee and lift your hip up and back to the starting position. Be sure to keep the rest of your body still as belly dance is all about isolation. The Turkish belly dance style is also famous for its use of finger cymbals, known as ‘zils’ which are played to the beat of the music whilst dancing.
There is a separate ‘gypsy style’ of belly dance which originated from Romani folk dance and is sometimes fused together with Turkish belly dancing. Travelling gypsy steps are often more harsh than other in other styles of the dance, and sometimes involve the 'stamping' of the front foot. Belly dancing on both sides of the Cypriot border also often incorporate travelling moves which are traditional in Greece and Turkey, such as the vine step where one leg crosses sideways over the other. Other popular belly dance moves in Cyprus include the very fast shoulder shimmy which is often performed while leaning the upper body backwards.
Other Famous Cypriot DancesZeimpekikoZeimpekiko is an improvised folk dance and has different variations. The dance originated in Greece, but has a different style in Cyprus.The dance steps are spontaneous and follow the music which is often slow and causes the Cyprus dancers to drag or pull their feet. At times, dancers also clap and leap. People usually stand in a circle and clap, while dancers individually or in pairs take turns to dance in the centre of the circle. The 'Syrtos or ‘Kalamathkyano’This is another dance which originated in Greece and is danced in a circle. The circle moves in an anti clockwise direction with the dancers holding hands. This is a much faster and bouncier dance than the zeimpekiko, although the steps are mostly the same.Unlike the zeimpekiko, the Cypriot version remains the same as the Greek. Both of these dances are performed at all happy occasions, such as weddings and christenings and the Syrtos can be seen being performed at the end of the Hollywood film ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’. There is also a version of this dance which is performed just by women called the kalamathkyano. If you are eating out at a Greek taverna, also look out for the Cyprus dancers who will entertain you by balancing glasses on their heads or picking up tables with their teeth while they dance. But be prepared, they may get you up to join in!
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