ZONARADIKOS Greek
PRONUNCIATION:	zoh-nah-RAH-dthee-kohs
TRANSLATION:	Belt
SOURCE:	Dick Oakes learned this dance from Katina Shields who learned it at the Dora Stratou Theatre in Athens, Greece, in 1973. The dance has also been taught in various forms by David Henry, Athan Karras, Martin Koenig, Johnny Pappas, and Nikos Varvitsiotis.
BACKGROUND:	Zonaradikos is a men's line dance of the Greek refugees from Bulgarian Thrace (Eastern Rumelia) who settled in Greek Thrace and Macedonia after the population exchanges of the early 1920s. It is related to the Bulgarian dance called Pravo Horo. The name Zonaradikos comes from the word "zonari," meaning belt (or more accurately a cummerbund-like sash) and refers to the belt hold used in the dance. The movements, called "chesto" (also an alternate name of the dance), simulate the many actions taken in the wheatfields and remind one of the actions of horses and their hooves. The dance is also known as Pilalitos or Hasapikos Thrakis.
MUSIC:	Kefi Records (45EP) KER-101; P.I. Records (LP) LPS-33.
FORMATION:	Originally danced by M only, W also are now joining the dance. Thus it my be danced mixed, with M and W holding neighbors' belts (R arm under) or with a front basket hold.
METER/RHYTHM:	2/4
STEPS/STYLE:	The style is heavy with an easy flexing of the knees. It is danced in a smooth and controlled way. Although it may be done with high energy, it does not become bouncy. There are many more motif variations available that are not described here.
MEAS	MOVEMENT DESCRIPTION
	INTRODUCTION
	Dance starts at beg of any musical phrase.
I.	TRAVA (TRAH-vah - Introductory Step) "Move on"
1	Facing ctr, step R swd (ct 1); step L across in back of R (ct &); step R swd as L remains in place (ct 2); lean swd to R (ct &);
2	1/2 MEAS: Shift wt to L as R remains in place (ct 1); lean swd to L (ct &).
	Repeat Trava (Introductory Step) until leader changes to Basic Step (Opa!). Note that Trava is just 1 1/2 meas long and requires a repetition to finish with the end of a musical phrase.
II.	OPA! (OH-pah - Basic Step) "Let's go!"
1	Repeat action of Fig I, meas 1;
2	Step L fwd (ct 1); raise R beside L (ct &);
	Step R bwd (ct 2); step L bwd (ct &);
3	Step R bwd (ct 1); raise L in front (ct &); step L bwd (ct 2); raise R in front (ct &).
	Repeat Basic Step until leader calls "Embros."
III.	EMBROS (ehm-BROHS) "Forward"
1	Facing and moving twd ctr, step R (ct 1); step L (ct &); jump to both ft (ct 2); hop R bwd (ct &);
2	Step L bwd (ct 1); hop L (ct &);
	Step R fwd (ct 2); step L fwd (ct &);
3	Jump to both ft (ct 1); hop R fwd (ct &); step L (ct 2); jump to both ft (ct &);
4	Hop L bwd (ct 1); step R bwd (ct &); step L bwd (ct 2); step R bwd (ct &);
5	Raise L in front (ct 1); step L bwd (ct &); raise R in front (ct 2);
	Step R fwd (ct &);
6	Step L fwd (ct 1); jump to both ft (ct &); hop R fwd (ct 2); step L (ct &);
7	Jump to both ft (ct 1); hop L bwd (ct &); step R bwd (ct 2); step L bwd (ct &);
8	Step R bwd (ct 1); raise L in front (ct &); step L bwd (ct 2); raise R in front (ct &).
	At this point, the dancers automatically return to the Basic Step (Fig II) until the leader again calls "Embros."
Copyright © 2012 by Dick Oakes