Tsamikos
A dance strictly performed by men in the past, the tsamiko (or kleftiko) is another Pan-Hellenic traditional dance, popular in Peloponnese, Central Greece, Thessaly, and Epirus, where a slower version exists. Following a strict tempo, the dance doesn’t focus so much on basic steps but more on the attitude of the dancers, placed in a circle formation and holding each other’s hands at a 90-degree angle, with the lead dancer performing leaps and squats, depending on the melody and rhythm. When both women and men dance the tsamiko, it includes a “double banister,” with men (usually in foustanella) dancing in the outer circle, and women in the inner circle, or a simple ring where one male dancer is followed by a female dancer and so on.