The collaborative event of “Iliades” association and the Union of Greeks from Egypt and the Middle East (EEAMA) on the theme “A Journey through the History of Rebetiko Song and Dance” proved to be a great success.
In a theatrical space designed to evoke a rebetiko atmosphere, Victoria Papazoglou took us on a journey to the mid-19th century, where rebetiko is traced, and introduced us to its world.
The origins of this type of music are associated with prison songs. The first rebetiko songs mainly refer to delinquent acts and love affairs, while the social element in the theme is limited.
During this period, the Piraeus style dominated with Markos Vamvakaris as its main exponent. At the same time, Smyrna composers also began to write rebetiko songs.
In 1937, Vasilis Tsitsanis appeared as did Manolis Chiotis around the same time. 1937 was also when the Metaxas regime imposed general censorship. The content of the songs was forcibly changed. References to hashish, tequettes and hookahs were removed.
The event was accompanied by Christos Konstantinidis’ dance group with live music by Ilias Hatziemmanouil and Dean Georgalas.
