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Dancing the Zeimbekiko
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Have you ever seen a grown man dance with a table in his mouth? I had not until I saw Alex Papavasiliou dance the Zeimbekiko in a video of the Austin Texas Greek Festival, which was held on May 29th and 30th at Laguna Gloria and attended by around three thousand people. The practice and performance of Zeimbekiko perpetuates a tradition of dance and helps Greek communities keep their culture alive.
The Zeimbekiko is not a folk dance, but rather a Greek bar dance that originated in urban areas in the early 1900s following the Treaty of Lausanne when there was a large population exchange between Turkey and Greece. In practice, it is a solo dance that is loose in form and performed within a circle of friends or others who are seated or on their knees clapping to the beat. It evolved as a way for young, single men to demonstrate their bravado by adding embellishments to the dance. After one would dance with a table in his mouth, another would practice one-upsmanship by dancing with a chair on top of the table, and so on. These days, if you cannot make it to a bar in Greece, you might witness the Zeimbekiko performed at Greek Festivals in Austin and throughout the United States.
However, not all Greek festivals will have the Zeimbekiko as demonstrated by Alex, and if they do, they are not likely to be performed with a table and chairs. Alex is one of only three or four people in Texas who can perform the Zeimbekiko in this fashion. He learned the dance from his father, Vasilis Papavasiliou, who has been performing Zeimbekiko at festivals and events for 35 years. Alex describes the self expression of the dance to be the biggest part of performance, while the most difficult part is balance and control.
By performing the Zeimbekiko, Alex is maintaining a Greek tradition for the Greek community, allowing Austin, Texas and American Greeks to stay in touch with their heritage. His performance of Zeimbekiko also acts as a patch in the quilt of America’s multicultural community.
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