An special rendition of the “Dance of Zalongo”, with the encouragement of the Epirotes of Australia
The folk song “Farewell poor world” – also known as “the Dance of Zalongo” – which refers to the sacrifice of the women of Souli, in 1803, which took place in order that they would not to fall into the hands of Ali Pasha, is performed in a special rendition and also presented in a special video clip by performer Konstantina Touni from Epirus.
The video clip was released on Saturday, 16 December 2023, in light of the 220th anniversary of the sacrifice of the Souliote women (December 18, 1803 – December 18, 2023). In fact, the singer accepted the initiative at the encouragement of the Pan-Epirotic Union of New South Wales, as she revealed, in order for the song to embellish an event held in commemoration of yesterday’s anniversary.
“As I thought about it more and planned it in my head, the gravity of the song overwhelmed me with chills and awe. I imagined various scenarios while thinking about the monument at the top of Mount Zalongo. It would be something new and interesting to reach both young and old”, says Ms. Touni, describing the preparation of the scenery that would frame her performance.
In the end, the video clip was filmed at the “Zalongo Monument” of the sculptor Giorgos Zongolopoulos, which is located in the town of Kamarina, in the prefecture of Preveza, and has been designated as a Monument of Modern Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture of Greece. Ms. Konstantina Touni is surrounded by ten girls from the professional dance school of Aristea Litou, while the orchestration and music production belong to Tryfon Anastasiou.
Finally, it is worth noting that the introduction to the performance includes a quote from a speech about freedom by the Late Metropolitan Pavlos of Sisanion and Siatista, while verses from the Ode on the Death of Lord Byron“, by Dionysios Solomos are also recited.
