Since I am obsessed with dancing at the moment, here are some links:
First, here's Anthony Quinn looking remarkably like me, demonstrating
the crane dance (I think) with unforgettable panache, as Zorba (sorry
girls, I'm too busy struggling with a mid-life crisis to do any
dancing myself, but you may watch my double and dream of the day when
I'm in the groove again):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndPJRh_K2yc
Here's a good if brief account of the origin of Greek dance -
apparently it all started with the Cretans - and it's association with
poetry. Movement of the pelvis, dissociated from the rest of the body
(a la Elvis) was frowned upon (no sex please, we're Greek? Or at
least, not in front of our wives and female relations):
http://www.annaswebart.com/culture/dancehistory/history/index.html
And finally, for all those who want to learn some contemorary Greek
dances in an appropriate musical setting:
http://www.btinternet.com/~argyros.argyrou/dances/
I suspect we cannot hope to understand Greek poetry unless we dance it
while reciting it. I'm not sure how relevant this is to Latin except
in so far as the poetic forms were borrowed from Greece. Also, as I
understand it, part of the musicality of classical verse is the way
the natural stress cuts across the meter. That's easier in Greek since
the stresses are marked out for us (and even then it's a difficult
task for someone brought up on stress-based metre), but I haven't even
attempted it in Latin yet - and I'm not sure I ever will without
visible accents to prompt me.
Anyhow, back to my dreams.
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