Pentozali

The Pentozali or Pentozalis is a dance from Crete. It takes its name from its five (pente) basic steps and its sprightly and ultimately very fast pace ("zalos" being a rare Greek word for "jump"). The name can thus be translated as "five-jumps", its typically Greek wordplay implying that dancing it can make one jump five times over. The dance starts at a moderate pace and accelerates progressively. It is a war dance, vigorous, with high jumping movements and allows for much improvisation. It has often been suggested that this may be the descendant of a Minoan dance, perhaps that of the Kouretes, a mythical troupe of ancient warriors. There is a forgotten dance of the area of Psiloritis where the Kouretes lived, called Empyrrikios (from the ancient Pyrrichios), whose steps are very similar to Pentozalis.