The hasapiko ( ; , ; , from Ottoman Turkish قصاب (kassâb) + -ικο (-iko)) is a Greek folk dance from Constantinople. The dance originated in the Middle Ages as a battle mime with swords performed by the Greek butchers' guild, which adopted it from the military of the Byzantine era.Sword dance in Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 14 April 2022, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online During the Byzantine era in Constantinople, it was called the (), also meaning 'butcher's dance'. Some Greeks, however, reserve the latter term only for the fast version of the dance.
The slow version of the dance is called the (; ) and generally employs a meter. The fast version of the dance—variously called ( or the ()—uses a meter.
Sirtaki, the modern staple Greek dance, is a relatively new, choreographed dance, based on hasapiko.
See also Greek dances Kalamatianos Pyrrhichios Serra Syrtos
References
External links Hasapiko description