The Art of Dance and its Connection to Wellbeing and Identity

The Greek community of Melbourne has long supported a range of cultural activities that derive from its shared heritage. This is significant in the maintenance of a Greek identity among younger members of the community and for providing cultural continuity and consonance among older ones. One element of this shared heritage that remains popular is Greek dancing that remains a popular pastime for various age groups. 19 participants (four male and fifteen female), aged between 18-58 were recruited from a well-established long standing dancing school in Melbourne. The participants were interviewed (in either Greek, English or a mix) about their participation in Greek dancing and the meaning it had for them as well as their reason for taking part. This presentation will discuss findings from this research project. A number of themes related to health, wellbeing and identity emerged from the interviews. It was notable that participants experienced a high level of social connection and identity support from their dancing despite many having started for reasons of health and exercise. It was also found that this highly specific cultural activity helped to maintain strong links within the community as well as with its historical origins in Greece. In this way, dancing can be seen as an important adjunct ton health and wellbeing in the Greek community. Keywords: Dance, Health, Well-being, Identity, Greek, Qualitative