Many of you may be familiar with the title of this blog. OPA!!!! Is probably how you would read, or yell it while performing a traditional Greek dance!
As another part of our orientation course (which was quite a while ago now, whoops!) all the BCA students went to a dance studio where we spent three hours learning some traditional Greek dances. Many of the dances are performed in circles, generally somehow connected to the people next to you, whether it be by holding hands, shoulders, or on to one another's belts.
Music and dances are characteristic of the regions they originate from and each island or region of the mainland sort of has its own flavor. Some islands for example, do everything on their toes while others might stomp their feet much harder and stay low to the ground.
We also learned that men are traditionally much more liberated in Greek dances. Their dances steps are bigger and they will be the ones to jump high in the air, slap their thighs, or to yell things like OPA!
After we took the class, the following Saturday we went out to dinner in a Greek restaurant in a neighborhood near the acropolis called Plaka, where we were made to get up on stage with the dancers and show everyone what we learned. Our group can cut a rug, that's for sure! Here are some pictures!
As another part of our orientation course (which was quite a while ago now, whoops!) all the BCA students went to a dance studio where we spent three hours learning some traditional Greek dances. Many of the dances are performed in circles, generally somehow connected to the people next to you, whether it be by holding hands, shoulders, or on to one another's belts.
Music and dances are characteristic of the regions they originate from and each island or region of the mainland sort of has its own flavor. Some islands for example, do everything on their toes while others might stomp their feet much harder and stay low to the ground.
We also learned that men are traditionally much more liberated in Greek dances. Their dances steps are bigger and they will be the ones to jump high in the air, slap their thighs, or to yell things like OPA!
After we took the class, the following Saturday we went out to dinner in a Greek restaurant in a neighborhood near the acropolis called Plaka, where we were made to get up on stage with the dancers and show everyone what we learned. Our group can cut a rug, that's for sure! Here are some pictures!
I am almost directly opposite the camera. The man in the middle in the black was our teacher. He was a great guy and really made the lesson interesting! My friend, Kyle, is "leading" the dance so there is a break in the line between us.
This is a picture of the last dance we learned. It's the only one that we learned that is not performed in circles. This dance was in the movie Zorba the Greek! (Not that I've seen that movie... whoops!)
This is a picture of the girls in my apartment before walking down to Plaka to meet for our dinner and dancing! From L to R Ally (Messiah College), Jen (MC), me, Emily (MC), and Elena (Juniata College.)
Lucky for everyone else in the restaurant, dancers performed traditional dances without us up there before we danced. I think this restaurant was sort of a tourist trap... in a funny way it reminded me of Medieval Times or something, just Greek Dancing Style.
I didn't really get good pictures of us on stage...There we are though! Greek songs are way too long, by the way. I'm just throwing that out there.
very fun, Kels! Just love reading your words and seeing your beautiful face every now and then. Miss you and so glad you're having a great time! OPA!!!!! Love you!
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