The maintenance of Greek cultural traditions and the teaching of folk dancing in the diaspora is the topic of a special lecture which will be presented at the Greek Centre, on Thursday 15 August, by Nick Papaefthimiou. This is a memorial seminar for Roz Nicolaou.

During the lecture, a number of questions will be explored: 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?

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.

When: Thursday 15 August 2019, 7.00pm
Where: Greek Centre (Mez, 168 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne)