"Zorba's Dance" is an instrumental by Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis. The music is part of the soundtrack for the 1964 film Zorba the Greek, and used in the film to accompany the dance known as sirtaki. It is now commonly played and danced to in Greek tavernas. The film's track has since been recorded as a standalone song by many different musicians from around the world.

Background

The music of "Zorba's Dance" was composed by Mikis Theodorakis, who derived it from rebetiko, a form of urban music performed by Greek musicians with Turkish makam modes. The music, and its song "Strose To Stroma Sou Gia Dio" ("Make Your Bed for Two"), was adapted from a syrtos traditional composition from Chania by the Cretan musician Giorgis Koutsourelis, which was chosen as it had "energetic rhythm" and some resemblance to the rebetiko. The soundtrack recording was performed on a bouzouki. The original soundtrack credited to Mikis Theodorakis was released as a single in 1965. It was among a number of different versions performed by different artists released around the world the same year due to the success of the film. Mikis Theodorakis's soundtrack version topped the charts in Austria and Belgium, and reached No. 5 on the Dutch Top 40 (which aggregated different versions). and No. 7 in West Germany. The music, as with other works by Mikis Theodorakis, was banned by the Greek junta that ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974.

Sirtaki dance

The dance accompanied by the music of "Zorba's Dance" has been named "sirtaki". It was created specifically for the film rather than a traditional form of dance. The name suggests it was created based on "syrtos", a type of dance where the dancers drag their feet instead of hopping, however, the dance incorporates both a slower style hasapiko dance, and a faster one called hasaposerviko. The dance has become a popular form of Greek dance.

Charts

Other recorded versions

Influences

The composition provided the inspiration for "Bend It!", a 1966 hit single by British group Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich that reached number 1 in Germany, New Zealand and South Africa.

In contemporary culture