FAQ
Figoura Online is the online video tutorial portion of the Figoura School of Greek Dance. The dance instructor from Figoura is the main instructor that is in the videos.
Figoura Online is made up of 3 channels.
All Access - this is a monthly subscription of £11.99 offering a mixture of dances from the dance school.
Hasapiko and Zorba - this is a paid channel giving you access to the Hasapiko and Zorba tutorials.
Zeibekiko - this is a paid channel giving you access to the Zeibekiko online tutorials.
We thought that due to the popularity of the Zeibekiko and our popular channel on Figoura Online, that we'd make the videos part of a standalone website (this one!) for everyone to find more easily. So here it is! www.zeibekiko.co.uk !
No, the videos are the property of Figoura Limited, and we need to protect the content and make it a special experience for all that choose to learn with us. We have made the content available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for unlimited streaming directly to your device.
Of course there may be times that we administer some website maintenance and make some updates, so once in a while, but very rarely, you may find access limited till we finish the upgrades/changes.
To begin with the Zeibekiko tutorial doesn’t expect anything ‘musical’ from you. Nor does it expect that you have to previous dancing experience. If you simply follow the instructions you will learn to dance, improvise, create your own routine and then eventually with practice gain the confidence to dance on your own amongst friends.
The Zeibekiko uses a proven methodology developed by the dance instructor from Figoura that helps you to see the Zeibekiko in a new way. Instead of a frightening alien dance you will learn to see the Zeibekiko in terms of simple RHYTHMS and PATTERNS. This is one reason why we've made learning the complex Zeibekiko into one of the easiest dances to learn – by understanding and breaking up the rhythms and patterns in such a way making it so easy to follow on your own.
Lot’s of people who already dance the Zeibekiko, can usually dance it without understanding the foundations of why they do. The Zeibekiko tutorial teaches you how to dance by analysing the music, learning various repeatable dance skills that will allow you to improvise and create your own free flowing dance. Only being able to dance set patterns without understanding the underlying music and how it comes together is somewhat like being able to read the words of a Foreign language without knowing what it all means.
The Zeibekiko tutorial teaches you the underlying structures of the music – what it all means – and why it all fits together the way it does without a lot of boring details. You’ll only get what you need to be able to get out on the dance floor and execute your Zeibekiko.
The Zeibekiko tutorial covers a wide age group. Adult beginners love the video tutorials because they learn so quickly, they don’t have to spend too much time practicing and they get to avoid years of head scratching trying to work out what they need to do.
It’s also great for teenagers who want a fun (and ‘cool’) way to learn the Zeibekiko and to set them off onto a path of discovery as they use the skills to further develop their dancing. It isn’t really designed for younger kids as they have shorter attention spans and will need to be able to follow and understand the concepts described. However, if they are taught together with an adult, it may just work!
The lessons and concepts are designed in such a way that it work equally well irrespective of the song, be that modern songs or older rembetiko style songs. I try to urge people who are learning to listen to as many different songs to appreciate the varying tempos of the songs, their style, and try to with your Zeibekiko to tell a story as you connect and have your moment of euphoria with the song of choice.
Whilst men were the sole dancers of Zeibekiko originally, and often associated with rebels, menaces of society, it was then frowned upon if women danced it. Somewhat made you seem lower class. But that was then... and times have changed in a big way.
Today the Zeibekiko is also danced by women as a means of expression and freedom, even though it still carries that stigma of being a male only dance and very much dominated by men. Of course, I usually urge women who do dance it, to rather than mimic the style of a man, to perhaps dance it with grace and elegance suitable for them. Avoid the adrenaline pumping slaps and kicks that the men tend to do, to show off their masculinity.
The Zeibekiko tutorial is compiled with the male dancer in mind, however the concepts and many of the steps and manoeuvres taught are certainly suitable for the female dancer too. Just know that there may be some slaps and kicks you may want to tone down.