Studying Dance in The Present. The K’na Dance and Its Different Dance Forms in Nea Vyssa, Greece.

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume VI, Issue II, February 2022 | ISSN 2454–6186

Studying Dance in The Present. The K’na Dance and Its Different Dance Forms in Nea Vyssa, Greece.

 Eleni Filippidou
School of Physical Education and Sport Science,
National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece

Abstract
In the community of Nea Vyssa in Greece there is the paradox that a single dance, with the name K’na dance, appears today in three different versions. The aim of this research is to record the different versions of the “K’na” dance that coexist today in the community of Nea Vyssa in Greece, to determine if they are really different versions of the same dance and to define the reason for their existence. The collection of ethnographic data was based on the ethnographic method. Laban’s notation system was used to record the choreographic compositions of K’na dance, while for the analysis of their structure and form, as well as their codification, the structural-morphological and typological method of analysis was used, as it is applied in the Greek Τraditional Dance. From the data analysis was found that the versions that were found in the K’na dance in the community of Nea Vyssa, have to do with the place of the dance, as the three versions of K’na dance that exist today in the community of Nea Vyssa highlight issues of “first” and “second” existence of dance. In conclusion, the diversity of K’na dance today in Nea Vyssa is a consequence of the transfer of dance to the stage. The K’na dance in Nea Vyssa today is experienced in different ways by the residents of the community, depending on the place of its performance.

Keywords— Greek Traditional Dance, Ethnographic method, variety of dance forms

I. INTRODUCTION

It’s commonplace that a dance can exist in different dance forms. This can occur as a result of either political influences (Filippidou, 2018), or local cultural identities (Filippidou, 2021; Filippidou, Koutsouba, & Tyrovola, 2013; Gerogianni, & Filippidou, 2021), or gender differences (Koutsouba, 2000). Therefore, the same dance may show differences from region to region, such as Syrtos “sta tria” (Tyrovola, 1994, 2001) or may be danced differently even within the same community (Filippidou, & Karfis, 2022).
The latter case is also observed in the community of Nea Vyssa in the region of Thrace in Greece. Carrying out on-site research in the area from 2004 to 2017, I found the presence of different dance forms of a specific dance and specifically of the “K’na” dance. The “K’na” dance is a ritual dance that accompanies the wedding event of “K’na”, is one of the main dances of the dance repertoire of Thrace and is danced by all communities in the region. In previous studies I had researched the different dance forms that this dance shows in Greek Thrace (Filipidou, 2018; Filipidou, Koutsouba, & Tyrovola, 2013), but also within the same community (Filippidou, 2022), that of Nea Vyssa.
The presence of three different choreographic compositions has been recorded in Nea Vyssa (Filippidou, 2022). These choreographic compositions appeared in different time periods, one after the other. However, the field research found that in this community, today, three different versions of the “K’na” dance coexist. These different versions are danced in parallel in the community. The question at this point is whether this can happen.
Based on the above, the aim of this research is to record these different versions of the “K’na” dance that coexist today in the community of Nea Vyssa, to determine if they are really different versions of the same dance and to define the reason for their existence.

II. METHODOLOGY

The collection of ethnographic data was based on the ethnographic method, as it is used in the science of dance (Buckland, 1999) and as it is conducted in the context of a “native anthropology” of dance (Boulamanti, 2014; Buckland, 1999; Charitonidis, 2018; Dimopoulos, 2011, 2017; Felföldi, 1999; Filippidou, 2011, 2018; Fountzoulas, 2016; Giurchescu, 1999; Koutsouba, 1991, 1997; Loutzaki, 1989; Niora, 2009, 2017; Sarakatsianou, 2011; Sklar, 1991; Tyrovola, 2008). More specifically, the ethnographic method was based on the use of primary and secondary sources.

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