Day #17: 17 July 2013

Today we discussed a review of the activities from yesterday. There was a large focus on the religious festival that we went to yesterday. We discussed many of the things that we saw, especially with reference to Maria’s book. We saw what the lira was and how the shapes and sizes can vary thus producing different sounds. We also saw different famous artists who play liras and how many collect different liras.

We also talked about the dances that we performed yesterday. One dance was the Pentozali which is a dance with five steps. For me, the dances were semi-simple. They all seemed to involve more of the legs than any other part of the body. There was also a lot of crossing of the feet, but just in different patterns. We saw pictures of Maria dancing because she has gone to three different schools of dance and is an accomplished dancer.

We also discussed the word Plaka. Plaka can mean making fun of someone. It can also mean a flat area like a plateau. For example, in Athens, the area around the acropolis is Plaka because this area is very flat.

We also talked about economics and the crisis and how they affected public policy. The crisis changed how public policy is used and showed people the organizations that the government helps to support. The most shocking one for me is that college is free for all Greeks and is included in their high taxes. There was also a downfall in Greek products internationally. Transparency, special planning and growing competition in the markets are all affecting the brands that are trying to expand outside of Greece. Many brands want an international reputation like Bertolli from Italy.

Tonight we have a dance workshop! We learned about five different dance styles. Two were slow and three were fast. I was surprised at how all of the dances were just footwork with the hands either at the side or in the air to focus all of the attention on the feet. I enjoyed this experience immensely and thoroughly enjoyed being able to at least attempt some of these dances. At times, I felt as if I were Irish river-dancing because of the fast paced footwork.