ROZ NICOLAOU MEMORIAL SEMINAR: The maintenance and dissemination of Greek cultural traditions and teaching methodology of folk dancing in the diaspora

Location: The Delphi Bank Mezzanine, The Greek Centre, 168 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
Date: THURSDAY 15/8/2019 @ 7:00pm
Presenters: Nick Papaefthimiou

Language of Presentation: English | R.M.L.G.*: 0 - No knowledge of Greek required.
Entry: FREE

Synopsis

How do second, third and fourth generation Greeks living in the Diaspora without lived experiences (βιώματα), experience a deep connection to their culture and develop a Greek cultural identity?
What is evolution and what is dilution of our culture?
How should teaching of dance in the Diaspora differ from teaching in the homeland?
What teaching methodologies should be employed which will foster a better understanding of the role of both Greek dancing and the dance teacher in the maintenance of our cultural heritage? Do we want our next generations to understand and reflect the true essence of our folk culture or have the depth of a meme or slogan on a t-shirt? These and other questions will be explored in this presentation.

Bio

Nick Papaefthimiou was born in Australia from parents who migrated post war from Northern Greece.

He has been involved in folk dancing from a very young age. This progressed to teaching and organising events in his teens.

Always keen to experience the traditions first hand from the primary source, he has been making regular trips to Greece over the years. These trips have involved collecting authentic traditional folk costumes and musical instruments from various regions, learning dance steps of various styles, collecting old musical recordings and making his own field recordings.

His driving passion is to preserve  this rich Greek cultural heritage in Melbourne and Victoria, and  to share it with other communities and the general public.   He encourages  freedom of expression and improvisation within a dance or musical performance,  as a key element of live Greek folk tradition in Victoria.

Sponsors

We thank the following donors for making this seminar possible: Mary Rerakis | Pammessinian Brotherhood PAPAFLESSAS.
During the course of the year considerable expenses are incurred in staging the seminars. In order to mitigate these costs individuals or organisations are invited to donate against a lecture of their choice.

You too can donate for one or more seminars and (optionally) let your name or brand be known as a patron of culture to our members, visitors and followers, as well as the broader artistic and cultural community of Melbourne. Please email: info@greekcommunity.com.au or call 03 9662 2722.

We also thank the following corporate sponsors: