The Pontic dance ‘Tik’. Ethnographic and rhythmic element

Abstract

The Pan-Pontian dance ‘Tik’ can be found in many variant forms depending on the geographical origins of the dance. The purpose of this study is to determine the differences and similarities between the different forms of the popular Pontiac dance ‘Tik’ and therefore limit the uncertainties and generalizations around its basic elements. The collection of the ethnographic data was based on the principles of historical ethnography, which combines fieldwork research on a community with historical data and written sources and interviews. Structured interviews were used for data collection. The criteria for sample selection were the age, the professional and social activity, and people such as musicians, teachers, and members of culture and social clubs were chosen. The rhythmical data collection was based on published music notations of specialized ethnomusicologists and researchers. Rhythmic transcripts and analysis of the authors of this study, based on the principles of ethnomusicology and ancient Greek musical rhythmic, were also used. The results of this study revealed 14 variant forms of ‘Tik,’ which differ in names, form of the hand grip, morphological elements, rhythm, and positioning in the dance circle. The musical meter of 2/4, which is the most rare, and the most common meters 5/8 and 7/16 were found during the analysis of the rhythmical data. It is the first research attempt to analyze and clarify the different forms of ‘Tik’ and the results of this study are the first analysis of the ethnographic and musical elements of these forms. These results help the recognition and understanding of the different forms of the dance and are valuable in the hands of dance teachers and researchers. Also, this study aspires to set a new approach at studying teaching traditional Greek folk dance and music in general.