Yes I know its now a cliche, and yes you do hear it at every restaurant in the Plaka but there was a time when "Sirtaki" by Mikis Theodorakis was something original and in the context of the great Michael Cacoyannis' Zorba the Greek quite moving.
Early in the film Zorba (Anthony Quinn, proving once and for all that he was a brillant actor) challenges his uptight "boss" the young Englishman John (Alan Bates, looking young and beautiful) to dance because "When a man is full, what can he do: burst?" When John refuses Zorba begins to dance alone and the villagers provide the traditional music.
In the concluding scene John, now more aware of life, asks Zorba to teach him to dance, to help him become as free as the old man himself.
The familiar music suddenly becomes what Theodorakis meant it to be, not restaurant background music but a celebration of life.
26 novembre - San Umile da Bisignano
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