Music: Ballos from
Greek Dances and How to Do Them
Time: 4:45
Begin with a ballos/sirto in a circle. Once leader is center stage, the first pair breaks away and begins with basic step the next pair waits for them to complete one set before beginning and so on. The couples split normally, the women going to the right and the men to the left , go back to where they started and rejoin again. They move forward and split crossing eachother this time, women cross in front of men and go to the left, men go to the right. Couples rejoin at back, woman crossing in front to her position. The line of pair then forms a circles of pairs and the leader calls epitopou. Upon leader's calls, deksia and strofi are done. When leader calls bros, the line begins moving forward again. The couples split normally and the two lines go upstage until the leader calls epi topou, at which point the couples face eachother doing that step.
The leader then will call bros on the left foot and the couples do 2 sets of the basic step moving towards eachother until they meet in the middle. Couples are facing eachother with their partner to their right. They grasp hands with left arm bent, right arm straight and do four basic steps, each tunring 90 degrees until they are back where they started, then they continue forward to the opposite side in 2 sets and turn to the right to face partner, doing epi topou . Again, bros is called and the couples come to the middle again as before. This time the men stay in place while the women go around the men in a clockwise way in three sets. Couples go forward again and turn as before. When the leader calls mazi bros the men turn towards lead man and women turn towards lead woman and do basic step, following the leaders and commands until the music is done.
Variations:
epi topou - Step to the right on the right foot, left foot steps next to right, while right is lifted a little, step on right in place. Repeat in the opposite direction.
Deksia - Called during epitopou. Step to the right on the right foot, left steps in front of right while right foot comes up, right foot steps in place while left is lifted. Do the same in the other direction.
Strofi - The leader will call ths during epi topou, when dancers are on their left foot. Women turn towards men in three steps, beginning with first step on the right foot.
Translations:
Bros - Forward
Epi Topou - In place
Deksia - Right
Strofi - turn
Mazi Bros - Forward together
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