Dr Maria Bougiesis will present an online-only lecture about the Greek traditional dance as an alternative form of exercise and a source of well-being on Thursday, July 27 at 7 pm, as part of the Greek History and Culture Seminars offered by the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM).
Delivered in Greek, the lecture will be streamed live on the GCM’s YouTube and Facebook.
In recent years, there has been greater research interest shown in the quality of life and health matters pertaining to dance. Greek traditional dance has been proposed as an alternative form of physical activity for improving a variety of parameters in older adults, like gait balance and cognitive function, as well as stress and emotional management in all ages.
Greek traditional dance is intricately linked with Greek culture and folk traditions, while for Greeks living abroad in the diaspora, it remains an important way of connecting with their heritage and engaging with their identity. Research has shown that Greek traditional dance has a lot to offer both from a cultural and quality of life perspective.
The presentation will discuss the relationship of dance and mainly Greek traditional dance with quality of life and health issues since it is an inexhaustible source of well-being and cultural richness emanating from common people.
Maria Bougiesi graduated from the Department of Physical Education and Sport Science of the University of Thessaly, Greece, and her Masters was in ‘Sport Psychology’ at the same university, in conjunction with the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland, and the University of Leuven, Belgium. She continued with her PhD in Greece and the University of Magdeburg, Germany where she worked in cognitive function improvement through dance and exercise in older adults.
Maria uses Greek traditional dance as a means of quality of life and health promotion. She has collaborated with cardiologists organising proper exercise programs through dance focusing on cardiac function improvement. She has taught Greek traditional dance in Greece and abroad during her studies, and since 2020 she has been teaching a course on Greek traditional dance at the University of Thessaly.
Maria has presented her research at both domestic and international conferences and her motto is: ‘Our life is a dance whose rhythm and melody is determined by us’.
Details about the event:
- When: Thursday 27 July, 7 pm
- How: Live streamed on Facebook and YouTube
- Language: Greek
