The Tsakonian Dance in totality (melody, rhythm and dance) is perhaps the only sample of ancient greek music which has reached modern times. It has reached our time primarily due to the fact that it is a sacred song of worship. Not surprisingly, songs of worship withstand the test of time. Despite the pressures new religions placed upon idolatry and ancient forms of worship, the Tsakonikos Dance lives on today.

Four hypotheses exist with regards to the origin of the Tsakonikos dance. The first and oldest theory supports the premise that the Tsakonikos dance is a polemic or military dance. Supported by local researchers, on further investigation, this theory is disputed since in metre, the dance follows 5/4 time versus 3/4 time. 5/4 time would indicate that the Tsakonikios Dance is a reverent piece as opposed to a military piece of music.

The second theory stems from the research of Dora Stratos and her followers.Dora Stratos School supports the Ionic myth of Ariadne and her support of Theseus quest in the Labyrinth at Knossos. The Tsakonikos Dance is believed to be the Crane which Plutarch describes in "The Trials of Theseus".

"....It was around this alter - or, according to another version around an alter of Aphrodite, on which the Daedalic image had been set - that Theseus and his companions danced the Crane, which consists of labyrinthe evolutions, trod with measured steps to the accompaniment of harps. The Delians still perform this dance, which Theseus introduced from Cnossus; Daedalus had built Ariadne a dancing - floor there, marked with a maze pattern in white marble relief, copied from the Egyptian Labyrinh. hen Theseus and his companions performed the Crane at Cnossus, this was the first occasion on which men and women danced together. Old-Fashioned people, especailly sailors, keep up much the same dance in many different cities of Greece and Asia Minor so do children in the countryside and it is the foundation of the Troy Game.... ".

Leaving Crete, Theseus arrived at the island of Delos. There he sacrificed a status of Aphrodite which Ariadne had given him. He danced a dance with the Athenian youth which legend tells mimicked the circles within the Labyrinth. The dance had repetitive movements and successions.

The third opinion, and most widely accepted, is that although the dance may have it's beginnings in the Labyrinth type dance, during it's evolution, it broke away from a pure labyrinth style and represented Apollo's struggle with the Python. In other words, although the design of the dance is of a labyrinth, the movements and choreography are snake-like.

The fourth opionion is widely disputed since the theory supposes the native creation of the dance. The hyposthesis assumes the Tsakonikos dance to have been invented during the end of the 6th century when in fact maze dances preceeded this period. How did the dance arrive to the Peloponesse? The Minoans had merchant relations with the islands of the Aegean and the Peloponesse. Cultural fermentation occurred when the Minoans moved and settled on the eastern coast of the Peloponesse. The local politics and culture absorbed the Minoan influence and once the Minoan stamp was upon these cultures, it wasn't long before the Mycenean culture was also swallowed up. 14th Century B.C. Thus, the sacred dance of Minoan Crete was transported during this period to the Eastern shores of the Peloponnese. The dance was retained and preserved by the Achaians of the Lakonian region when they fled to remot regions of Mount Parnon to escape enslavement by the Dorians in the 11th Century B.C. During the ensuing years, with the prevalent worship of the Olympic Gods, the most significant God of worship by the Achaians was the God Apollo. Moreover, Theseus prayed to the God Apollo before embarking on his journey to Knossos and in arriving in Delos on his return journey, Delos is the birthplace of the God.