Folk dances as a happening of coming together in the streets of Athens
The focus of this work, based on my long-term field research in Athens, is the use of open urban spaces (parks, parking lots, and streets) as a gathering place for citizens to practice traditional folk dances.1 The research focuses on dance events organized by informal groups of citizens,...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Institute of Ethnography, SASA, Belgrade
2024-01-01
|
| Series: | Glasnik Etnografskog Instituta SANU |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0350-0861/2024/0350-08612403031B.pdf |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | The focus of this work, based on my long-term field research in Athens, is
the use of open urban spaces (parks, parking lots, and streets) as a
gathering place for citizens to practice traditional folk dances.1 The
research focuses on dance events organized by informal groups of citizens,
not by institutions. Results show that there is a significant presence of
folk dances in the streets and parks of Athens. The paper gives special
attention to the periodic dance gatherings on the occasion of the Klidonas
holiday (June 23/24), International Bagpipe Day (March 10) and
Tsampounoglenti in honour of Saint Demetrius (October 26). The paper
especially analyzes various aspects of these dance activities, their role in
the lives of the participants and at the level of the wider social
community. The participants themselves emphasize the importance of folk
dances in overcoming alienation, establishing interpersonal connections, and
strengthening neighborly relations. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0350-0861 2334-8259 |