Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The bouzouki, which you will hear all over Cyprus, is a mandolin-like instrument simil-
ar to the Turkish
saz
and
baglama
. It's one of the main instruments of
rebetiko
music - the
Greek equivalent of American blues. The name
rebetiko
may come from the Turkish word
rembet,
which means outlaw. Opinions differ as to the origins of
rebetiko,
but it is prob-
ably a hybrid of several different types of music. One source was the music that emerged
in the 1870s in the 'low-life' cafes called
tekedes
(hashish dens) in urban areas and ports.
Today's music scene in Cyprus is a mix of old and new, traditional and modern. Young
Greek Cypriots are as happy with
rebetiko
as they are with contemporary Greek rock mu-
sic.
Cypriot singer and lyricist Evagoras Karageorgis has produced some excellent music
including
Topi se Hroma Loulaki
(
Places Painted in Violet
); a nostalgic and painful look
at the lost villages of Northern Cyprus sung in a mixture of Cypriot dialect and standard
Greek, accompanied by traditional and contemporary instruments.
In the North, musical trends tend to mirror those of mainland Turkey. However, Greek
music is still admired, and both cultures share a remarkable overlap in sounds and instru-
mentation.
Dance
Traditional Cypriot dances are commonly 'confronted pair' dances of two couples, or vig-
orous solo men's dances in which the dancer holds an object such as a sickle, knife, sieve
or tumbler. Shows at popular tourist restaurants frequently feature a dance called
datsia
where the dancer balances a stack of glasses full of wine on a sieve.
Dances in the North share very similar patterns of development and execution to those
in the South, the only real difference being the names. Thus the
tsifteteli
(a style of belly
dancing) is the
ciftetelli
in the North. In addition there is the
testi
and the
kozan,
both wed-
ding dances, and the
kaşikli oyunlari,
a dance performed with wooden spoons. Restaurants
with floor shows are most likely your best opportunity to sample some of the northern
variants of Cypriot dancing.
Dancecyprus (
www.dancecyprus.org
) is Cyprus' ballet company. It produces inspiring
modern and classical works to a European standard with a distinctive Cypriot influence.
Venues include the prestigious Rialto Theatre in Lemesos.
Theatre throughout Cyprus is an important art form with a long history. Productions range from traditional Greek
plays in the South to Ottoman-inspired shadow-puppet theatres in the North.
