Greek Dance
Two weeks ago, my family and I went to visit my sister’s godmother in Brooklyn to see her children perform in a Greek Dance performance in association with their Greek Orthodox Church and Greek Language School. The show was amazing, and I was a bit jealous of my sister’s god-siblings, considering that I had never been taught these traditional Greek dances when I was in Greek School. There was a liveliness associated with the dances due in part of the fact that third, fourth, and fifth graders were dancing these dances as opposed to adults. The boys donned black vests, white undershirts, white trousers, and simple black hats and the girls wore flowing white skirts and white scarves on their heads. Bouzouki and lute music played in the background as the children danced one of the traditional Greek dances involving a handkerchief. They bounced as they danced around in an open circle, each of them holding each others hands upright so that they were all connected. During the duration of the dance, the circle would switch at times from turning counter-clockwise, then momentarily turning in the reverse. This made me nostalgic for the summer I spent in Greece with my family and the countless times my drunk uncles would lead their wives in dances like these. Although I have witnessed these dances at other Greek functions here in the States, there is something heartwarming about experiencing the dance from the place of its origins that cannot compare.