Hasapiko
The hasapiko is a Greek folk dance from Constantinople. The dance originated in the Middle Ages as a battle mime with swords performed by the Greek butchers' guild, which adopted it from the military of the Byzantine era. In Constantinople during the Byzantine times, it was called in Greek μακελλάρικος χορός. Some Greeks, however, reserve the latter term only for the fast version of the dance.
The slow version of the dance is called χασάπικο βαρύ / χασάπικος βαρύς and generally employs a meter. The fast version of the dance uses a meter. It is variously called γρήγορο χασάπικο or χασαποσέρβικο, the last two terms in reference to Serbian and other Balkan influences on this version of the dance. The fast version is also called μακελλάριος χορός '',
Sirtaki is a relatively new, choreographed version of hasapiko.
