Dance Stereotypes. Reflection of gender relations in the ‘Karsilama’ dance in Greece

Τhe research field of this paper is the Greek dance ‘Karsilama’ as this is danced in the area of Thrace in Greece. More specifically, the research was carried out in the community of Nea Vyssa, which is located in the northern part of this country. The aim of this research is to study the dances of ‘Karsilama’ in Nea Vyssa, which have rhythm of nine beats (9/8), so that through the analysis of their form, it can be established whether these dances reflect stereotypes of the position of the two sexes in society. The collection of ethnographic data was based on the ethnographic method. Laban’s notation system was used to record the choreographic compositions of ‘Karsilama’ dance, while for the analysis of their structure and form, as well as their codification, the structural-morphological and typological method of analysis was applied, as it is applied in the Greek Τraditional Dance and for their comparison the comparative method was used. Finally, the interpretation of the data was held with the anthropological thinking about gender identity as it appears in anthropological views of dance and particularly in Hanna. From the data analysis was found that the ‘Karsilama’ dances are established the gender hierarchy in the community of Nea Vyssa, highlighting Nea Vyssa in a patriarchal society.