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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 August 2016
This paper initially exposes the resistance and reluctance of the Greek state to systematically support dance by means of long-term planning/institutionalization. Despite its establishment, during the 1970s, as an independent discipline studied at professional dance schools and under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture, dance has never really gained its rightful status in the Greek academia, nor has it ever been approached with the intention of truly comprehending and appreciating its nature. Further, the paper critically discusses government planning for dance education and funding for Greek dance companies. Finally, the author explains how the Greek dance community eventually has, on its own initiative, developed the necessary infrastructure in order to maintain and promote dance, both in education and in production. The Greek dance community—practitioners for the most part, plus a small number of researchers/academics—has implicitly influenced the existing state structures and cultural centers, and applied what in the current art/educational context is termed Scholarly Activity and Creative Collaborations. These ad hoc but regular actions might nevertheless prove to be the right choice for the sustainability of dance as an art form in Greece, within the current financial, political, cultural, and social predicament.