St. Demetrios Dance Troupe

Click on a region on the map to read about the dances. Map of Greece Thessalia Peloponnisos Thrace Ionian Islands Macedonia Epirus Asia Minor/Pontus Aegean Islands Sterea Ellada Crete

Asia Minor and Pontus (modern-day Turkey)

Asia Minor refers to the western coast of modern-day Turkey. This once included the Greek communities of Smyrna and Constantinople (now called Izmir and Istanbul). The region of Pontus was further inland, situated on the south shore of the Black Sea. Most of the Greek communities in these areas had been a part of the Byzantine Empire for a 1,000 years but were either killed or driven off as refugees in the 1922 genocide committed by troops of Kemal Ataturk to the Christian Greek and Armenian enclaves within Turkey. Those who were able to flee to Greece and America brought with them only the clothes on their back and their unique music and dances.

Hasapiko
This literally means "of the butcher" and was danced by the Butchers' Guild of Constantinople
Kasilamas
A couples' dance of Asia Minor where the partners face each other and dance mostly improvised steps
Kotsari
The name of this well-known Pontian dance refers to the repeated kicking step of the dance;"kots" means ankle in the Pontian dialect
Laziko
Pontian dance which has many variatons of steps
Syrtaki
Also commonly referred to as "The Sailors' Dance", this Asia Minor dance was popularized by the film "Zorba the Greek."
Tik
Pontian dance which includes sweeping arm movements along with the steps.
Tsifteteli
Also commonly referred to as a "belly dance", this improvisational Asia Minor dance is now the most common form of dance in modern-day clubs in Greece. We have incorporated it as part of our choreagraphy in newer Kalamtiano songs.
Zeimbekiko
This dance was born in the 1920s in the Rebetika clubs of the Asia Minor refugee camps in Greece. Rebetika songs are typically slow, talk about the sadness of exile, and are danced by only 1 or 2 people at a time, in a totally improvisational manner.