Filippos Filippou

The Folk Dance as Theatrical Performance and the Training of Dance Teachers

The aim of this study is to examine whether the education of dance teachers at the Departments of Physical Education and Sport Sciences (DPESS), and their background of knowledge, meets the requirements of traditional Greek dance performance by dancing groups. The study was based mainly on bibliographical research about the stage performance of folk dancing and the training of dance teachers in Greece and abroad (in former-Yugoslavia and Finland). Also taken into consideration are the curricula of the DPESS of Athens, Thessalonica, Komotini, Serres and Trikala for the academic year 2001-2002. In conclusion, we can say that: (a) the training of the dance teacher, with regard to methodology, the techniques of research and an anthropological approach to dance, is satisfactory; and (b) there are no courses on directing, choreography and costume design, all of them necessary for the theatrical presentation of traditional dances.

Interdisciplinary Greek Traditional Dance Course: Impact on Student Satisfaction and Anxiety

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of an interdisciplinary program of Greek folk dance music and sociology on 8th grade Middle school student satisfaction and anxiety level. To evaluate students’ anxiety and satisfaction the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 and Duda and Nicholls’ Satisfaction questionnaire were used respectively. The reliability analysis showed that indicators of internal cohesion of subscales in both instruments were at satisfactory levels. The results showed that the experimental group enhanced significantly the levels of satisfaction, and selfconfidence and decreased significantly the levels of somatic and cognitive anxiety. The satisfaction of students was positively related to self-confidence and negatively related to cognitive anxiety. The improvement observed in the experimental group concerned both boys and girls. In conclusion, we can say that an interdisciplinary program of traditional Greek dance reduces the rates of somatic and cognitive anxiety while simultaneously increasing students’ satisfaction and self-confidence.