By Panagiotis Dalatariof

The Zeibekiko Festival is returning to Australia for the third exciting year. From 3 to 12 October, the festival – under the banner of Ventouris Productions – arrives dynamically and promises the ultimate celebration of Greek traditions. Through dance, music, storytelling and community connection, the Greek spirit will be highlighted once again.

As part of the festival, Dr Christos Theologos, one of the most respected folklorists of Greece, will lead a series of lectures and workshops on the deep roots of the dance traditions of Asia Minor, such as the zeibekiko, aptalikos, karsilamas, Cappadocia, coastal Asia Minor and Constantinople.

In addition, he will conduct special workshops on the traditional dances from the island of Chios. His work highlights the connection between dance, Byzantine tradition and religious folklore, illuminating the timeless cultural memory that is inherent in movement and ritual.

Dr Theologos holds a PhD in Folklore, has lectured at the University of the Aegean, is Principal of the Music School of Rhodes, and is a member of the Hellenic Folklore Company, which has functioned as a scholarly body since 1908. He is also Director of the Artistic Workshop of Culture.

Through The Greek Herald, he speaks about the purpose of his visit to Australia, stresses how important dance is in order to safeguard elements of Hellenic tradition, while also sending his own resounding message to the Greeks of Australia.

What is the main purpose of your visit to Australia and what do you hope to offer the Greek diaspora with your presence here?

The main purpose of the visit to Australia is to share with the Greek diaspora both the knowledge and the experience that I have acquired over more than 40 years of my involvement with tradition, and in particular with Greek traditional dance. Together we will try to approach the music and dance phenomenon holistically, emphasising that Greek traditional dance, as well as music, does not exist in isolation but is part of a whole in every circumstance.

Music, song and dance in popular culture are not independent but are interwoven with human everyday life, through popular events, rites of passage and customary representations. Approaching the music and dance phenomenon holistically within our popular culture reflects the local culture of each community, not as something static but as something dynamic, within the framework of a traditional community.

Dance as well as music is a communicative medium; it is a kind of linguistic code which contains elements of verbal and non-verbal communication. Every movement, every step of the dancing (music and dance) expresses one or more meanings.

Through workshops, seminars and personal contacts, the aim will be to transmit not only the steps, but also the experiences, the symbols and the memory carried by these dances, with particular emphasis on the zeibekiko as a form of expression, improvisation and personal narration. I hope my presence will function as a bridge between the roots and the contemporary diaspora, rekindling the link with our cultural heritage.

How important do you consider it is for Greeks of the diaspora, and particularly for the younger generations, to know and experience the traditional dances of Asia Minor and our islands?

Traditional dances are not simply artistic or customary events. They are bearers of memory, history and identity. Especially for the descendants of refugees and for the younger generations in the diaspora, the dances of Asia Minor, Cappadocia and the islands of the North-Eastern Aegean function as a kind of intangible thread that connects the past with the present. These are elements of the intangible cultural heritage of Aegean civilisation.

The Aegean in our music and dance tradition never functioned as a border, but as a bridge that connects the islands of the Aegean with Asia Minor. Thus, together we will discover that there are differences in each individual place or village that make each one unique. At the same time, however, through these differences the homogeneity of the Aegean space is also highlighted.

Knowledge of, and experiential contact with, these dances strengthens cultural self-awareness, cultivates collective belonging and gives meaning to the preservation of Greek identity away from the homeland.

Can dance safeguard elements of identity when the distance from the homeland is great?

Absolutely. Dance has the power to function as a cultural imprint even in conditions of geographical or temporal distance. When the Greek of the diaspora rises to dance a karsilamas or a ballos, he does not merely express a musical tradition – he reactivates memories, relationships, symbols, and often a sense of communal continuity. Dance becomes a language of expression which does not require words in order for one to connect with his history and identity.

How does the audience abroad react when it discovers the richness and symbolism of Greek traditional dances?

The reaction is always moving. The audience, whether Greeks or people of another origin, is impressed by the authenticity, the emotional intensity and the cultural complexity of Greek dances. Often they feel that they are discovering something they lacked: a way to express their joy, their pain, their history. The dances of refugeehood and of the Aegean, with their small details and strong expressiveness, touch deeply the soul of both the recipient and the dancer. They discover that these expressive means are their own expressive means. That tradition, ultimately, is not a museum piece, a fossil of the past. It is a living element of the past in the present, which with their own contribution will be fertilised for the future, for the new that is being born.”

Is there a difference in the approach of Greeks abroad compared with the audience in Greece?

Yes, there is a difference which has to do mainly with the emotional charge and the degree of attachment to cultural memory. Greeks abroad often see dance as a means of reconnection, while in Greece the relationship may be more everyday or ritual. In the diaspora, every dance seems to be an act of resistance to oblivion; a means of preserving identity. This ‘nostos’, the desire for return – even if symbolic – makes their approach often more conscious and moving.

You have dedicated your life to the study and teaching of folklore and dance. What message would you like to leave with the Greeks of Australia through your presence here?

The message that I would like to leave is simple but essential: The Hellenic cultural space exists everywhere. It is the personal and collective responsibility of each individual Greek community, whether in Greece or among the Greeks of the diaspora, to function not only as root and fertiliser, but as the trunk of life in the present. Do not forget to dance. Dance is a way of life, a way of being. It is the means to meet our ancestors and to converse with our descendants. Memory is not something frozen; it is alive when you sing it, play it, dance it. Besides, memory has the power to defeat the decay of flesh. Nothing dies when we keep it alive in our memory and of course do not treat it merely as recollection.

Whether you are in Nea Filadelfeia, in Rhodes, in Chios, in Sydney, or in Melbourne, dance can keep you bound to your roots and offer you joy, community and inner strength.

For the full program of events and to book tickets, visit https://www.trybooking.com/eventlist/zeibekiko. The Greek Herald are proud media partners for this event.

Follow the Zeibekiko Festival Australia:

• Instagram: @zeibekiko_festival_australia
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZeibekikoFestivalAustralia/
• Website: www.zeibekikofestivalaustralia.com.au

By Despina Karpathiou   

It’s not every day you get a second chance at life — and by life, I mean a heart.

The heart is the silent hero of our existence — a ceaseless force that begins beating before we even open our eyes to the world and doesn’t rest until our journey ends. Each beat is a gift, carrying oxygen and life-giving energy to every corner of the body.

The Greek Herald spoke to Angelo Alateras about his second chance at life.

Life for Angelo, born to Greek parents in Melbourne, was pretty normal. He loved spending time with his cousins and was always active.

“It was in my 20s that I started to gain weight, and by my late 30s, I was 180kgs,” Angelo recalls.

The strain on his body eventually led to a diagnosis of Ventricular Tachycardia (also known as VT or arrhythmia).

“I was so seriously ill, on my last leg, when my only option for a second chance was to be put on life support via a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) — a mechanical heart to keep me alive,” he says.

Angelo spent two months in a coma, another two months in ICU, and three months in a ward — seven months in hospital in total.

“Whilst in ICU, I went into cardiac arrest. When I came to, a nurse who had performed CPR apologised for breaking a few of my ribs. I just told her, ‘I should be thankful you were in the right place and saved my life’,” he says.

The hardest moment, Angelo says, came when his father visited him in ICU after six weeks apart.
“My dad sat in the chair beside me, but he didn’t recognise me at all. My brother had to tell him, ‘It’s your son, Angelo.’ It was so emotional seeing my father’s memory slipping away. I told myself then, I just need to be strong and never give up. At that point, I couldn’t even communicate with him because my voice box was damaged when they removed the breathing tubes. I had to learn to speak again.”

For the next two years, Angelo lived with the LVAD while waiting for a donor heart.

“I had to carry a shoulder bag containing two batteries the size of bricks and a controller that kept me alive. This bag weighed 4kgs,” he explains.

On top of that, he carried a backpack with four backup batteries in case the main ones ran low — another 6kgs.

“The bag also had to hold my diary, where I documented battery performance and my symptoms throughout the day. I also had to carry a spare controller in case the one attached to my body failed. If I had to change them over, I only had five minutes to do so — otherwise, I could have died,” he explains.

The weight — both physical and emotional — became exhausting. Angelo knew he had to fight harder.

He began attending rehab at the Alfred Gym three times a week to build up his strength so he would be ready for the call. Then came another huge sacrifice: to be eligible for transplant, Angelo had to remove all his teeth in one go to eliminate the risk of infection.

Fast forward 21 months — and 615 days of physio later — Angelo had lost over 80kgs and was finally ready for a real heart transplant.

That magical call came on March 5, 2025, at approximately 10:30 pm: they had found him a heart.

He was admitted the next day, and after 12 hours of surgery, his body had successfully accepted its new heart.

Angelo then spent one week in ICU and another week in a ward before beginning rehabilitation at home.

He credits his wife as being his “second life support system.”

“This whole process has been extremely taxing on both of us,” he says. “Firstly, I want to thank my wife, who has stood by my side every second of every day. I could not have done this without her. She has been my second life support system.”

His parents also never left his side during his long hospital stay.

After being discharged, Angelo was unable to drive, so his wife had to take him to hospital at least three times a week for rehabilitation.

“Post-transplant, she also had to undergo training so she could change my bandages every two days,” he adds.

He also expressed gratitude to his wider support system.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to my family and friends, who have been a great support throughout my journey. I also want to thank my work management and staff, who have been incredibly supportive,” he says.

Today, Angelo is back to living life. He goes to the gym every day, plays lawn bowls, enjoys the outdoors, and has even returned to fishing — something he loves.

And finally, his heartfelt appreciation goes to the Alfred Hospital and its dedicated team.

“I cannot express my gratitude enough to the Alfred Hospital and their team — in every department — for everything they have done for me and for hundreds of others. If you would like to support this amazing hospital and its transplant team, any donations would be greatly appreciated,” he says.

Donations can be made at: www.hlttv.org.au

Angelo would like everyone to join him at Oakleigh Bowls Club on August 31^st (1-5pm) to celebrate his successful heart transplant & to launch the Heart to Heart House Christmas Raffle. RVSP to Angelo on 0411 667 970.