Chapter 8 Cinematic Dance as a Local Critical Commentary on the ‘Economic Crisis’ in Greece Exploring Dance in Korydallos, Attica, Greece

Sport and Nationalism in Celebrations of Mega Events. Dancing victory with Zorba the Greek

“…At the same time, a multitude of Greek taverns and restaurants around the world bear the name Syrtaki, Zorba and/or Zorba the Greek, which highlights its enduring nature sixty years after its first release. Zorba's cinematic dance 11 highlights that certain performances are culturally significant at critical moments (Pateraki 2017) and have the power to move the world and cultivate relationships that speak to the heart for many years (Sutton and Wogan 2009), cause re-signifiers of the past in the present (Knight 2012), and can transform individuals and collectivities, among others, in sports (Ottosson 2019).…”

“…The common ground in this relationship is the negotiation of national identity and, more specifically, the participation in the nationalisation processes to forge specific national norms (Hobsbawm 1992). Having already focused on the importance of dance in Greek society and its participation in shaping national identity 12 within the context of cinema (Pateraki 2017), I have underlined the emotional power of dance in Greek society and its decisive role in shaping the sense of common belonging (Anderson 1997) as well as its mass acceptance (Eriksen 2010). As the dance ferments socially and becomes culturally significant material, the "endearing", the "ours", and the "unforgettable" are transformed into one marker of embodied historicity, which sometimes follows irreconcilable paths (Pateraki 2014).…”

“…Although connected to entertainment, sports come to express many sorts of emotions and meanings. Like dance, a sport emerges as a performative place of collectivity and solidarity that invites a continuous embodied creative action, revealing at the same time how complex, fluid, and political it can be (for dance, see Kirtsoglou 2004;Pateraki 2017).…”

“…The cinematic dance of Zorbas as an embodied anthem of Greekness is perpetuated with extraordinary persistence following a game of nationalised appropriation both inside and outside, and above all outside: notably in international major sporting events where a specific performance of Greekness is perpetuated. Being a particular and difficult indicator of embodied historicity (Pateraki 2017), it allows us to discover a series of complex and ambiguous recognitions and confirmations behind the glossy facade. Moreover, it is culturally familiar material that sets these recognitions in motion and engages with them.…”