ABSTRACT
In Greece the word Tsifte-teli has come to signify a particular rebetika dance rhythm, as well as the physical performance of the dance itself, characterized by a shaking or shimmying of the chest and shoulders, and gyrating movements of the waist and hips. Despite its overwhelming popularity, tsifte-teli is problematic for many Greeks, along lines of identity, gender and the body. As dance is a form or bodily display, a consideration of the Orthodox Christian theology of the body may be helpful for understanding this priest's objections to tsifte-teli. The priest's objections deserve careful consideration as Greek objections, not just Orthodox ones. The problematic nature of tsifte-teli springs from more than just its Eastern versus Western roots. The deepest resistance to the tsifte-teli is gendered rather than purely religious. Tsifte-teli is primarily a woman's dance, and as the only rebetika dance in which a woman smiles - it is a 'frivolous' dance in contrast to the 'seriousness' of male dance.
