Thessaloniki now holds the Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous zeibekiko choreography, after 830 people from Greece and abroad gathered in Aristotelous Square to dance and raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease.
The dancers performed to Konstantinos Argyros’ song “Mia Thessaloniki”, while also supporting the work of Alzheimer Hellas.
The 830 dancers came from different parts of Greece and from Bulgaria, Romania, France, Germany, Austria, Norway, Serbia, Poland, Turkey, Cyprus, China and the United States.
With their coordinated moves, they broke the previous record held by Cyprus, which had 754 participants.
“Some of the dancers are residents of Thessaloniki and others came to the city from different parts of Greece and from abroad specifically and solely to take part in the event,” dance teacher Themis Parastatidis told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency.
He said the idea for Thessaloniki to claim the record, while also sending a message of awareness about Alzheimer’s, came to him a year ago, when he realised how much people love zeibekiko even abroad. The initiative was implemented in cooperation with the Greek Alzheimer’s Association.
Although the Guinness World Record does not come with a cash prize, Parastatidis said the moral satisfaction from achieving it is great, because the fact that so many people gathered in one place for this purpose confirms that dance unites and helps.
The initiative also involved the Friends of the Greek Association of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders.
How dance helps
Parastatidis has been teaching dance for several years to elderly people with Alzheimer’s.
How does dance help them?
“Dance is not just exercise, but much more. It trains memory, as dancers have to remember the steps and have good coordination. In addition, their mood improves because dance gives them the chance to take part in something collective, to come into contact with other people, and to meet people. Dance has many positive elements,” he said.
Ahead of the record attempt, interested participants were able to attend lessons on June 12 and 13, learn the official choreography and prepare for the “big day”.
The title was awarded by a Guinness representative, who said the awards follow a very strict process, from counting participants to execution, and that the participants in Thessaloniki “did perfectly”.
The award was made to the sound of Queen’s iconic song “We are the Champions”.