Karsilamas

Rhythm

9/8 (2+2+2+3) · Medium

Formation

Couples, partners facing each other.

Instruments

Violin, Oud, Santouri, Clarinet, Toumbeleki (drum), Kanonaki (zither)

Occasion

Wedding, Gathering, Village festival

Character

• Flirtatious
• Playful

Who dances it: Couples

A face-to-face dance in 9/8 (2+2+2+3): partners dance opposite each other, and the name comes from the Turkish karşılama, 'meeting'. It was danced on the Asia Minor coast, in Cappadocia and in Eastern Thrace, often at weddings with a handkerchief in hand, and refugees spread it across Greece. Each place has its own style; it is closely related to the antikristos of the Aegean, Thrace and Cyprus.

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Its story

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What they wear

• Women’s festive costume Asia Minor Women’s
• Men’s festive costume Asia Minor Men’s

Where it’s danced

• Asia Minor · origin
• Cappadocia · also danced here
• North Aegean · also danced here
• Thrace · also danced here
• Macedonia · also danced here
• Central Greece & Attica · brought by refugees

In the Dora Stratou Theatre archive

The Greek Dance Pandect records this dance. Each item opens on its own website.

Karsilamas or Gartsilama: Square dances in Cappadocia. See also: koutalia (spoons).

Places in the archive

• Ikonio · Cappadocia
• Silli · Cappadocia
• Tsarikli · Cappadocia
• Anakou · Cappadocia
• Potamia · Cappadocia
• Kaisareia · Cappadocia

Videos 1

• Καρσιλαμάς Asia Minor · [VD0210] /A.C08

Recordings 1

• Ελένη μου Cappadocia · [AR0827] LP 1958 /07

Photos 2

• Σύλλογος Καππαδόκων Νομού Ροδόπης "Ο Μέγας Βασίλειος", ζευγαρωτός χορός, Κομοτηνή, 28/11/1982. Cappadocia · [Pict_T V01] /1170
• Χορός Αντικρυστός από κορίτσια Sinasos · [Icon_F V03] /5143

More videos (1)