Alkis Raftis
Engineer, sociologist, manager, dance historian
Research website:
the HISTORY OF DANCE portal
Food for the thoughtful dancer
Alkis Raftis in figures
– Born in Athens. His family lives there since 1860, his grandfather and great grandfather were bakers in Plaka, the old town under the Acropolis.
– His 2 parents and 2 cousins were prominent members of the Resistance during the Nazi occupation of Greece
– Speaks 6 languages, plus understanding of Αncient Greek and Latin
– Served for 2 years in the Greek Army Signal Corps
– Graduated from 4 top grade universities in Athens and Paris
– Taught in 4 universities and lectured in another 14 universities in 9 countries
– Has held top posts such as Vice-Governor of a national investment bank, Chief Engineer of a large industrial plant and Projects Manager of a multinational company.
– Author of 21 books; editor of 28 books, 7 CD-ROMs and DVDs, 6 CDs
– Editor of a 32 page colour magazine on dance: 110 issues since 1992
– Organizer of 24 world congresses, plus hundreds of lectures, workshops, performances, festivals and other events pertaining to dance
– Elected President of 2 world-renowned organizations: the national Dora Stratou Dance Theatre in Athens, and the International Dance Council CID at UNESCO, Paris.
Profile
Alkis Raftis was born in Athens. His family lives there since 1860, his grandfather and great grandfather were bakers in Plaka, the old town under the Acropolis. Both his parents and other members of his family played leading roles in the Resistance during the Nazi occupation. He speaks 6 languages and holds degrees from 4 universities (engineering, sociology, political sociology and management) in Athens and inParis. After being a senior executive in American multinational corporations, he served as professor at universities: Patras School of Engineeting, Patras School of Education, Paris-Dauphine and Paris-Sorbonne. He has given lectures in another 16 universities. He served as vice-governor of the ETBA national investment bank, and finally decided to concentrate on dance.
He has carried out ethnographic research on traditional dancing in villages, historical research on Greek dance since Antiquity, as well as research on dance in world art and poetry. Prof. Raftis is considered the leading authority on dance in Greece since the Antiquity, as well as on dancers around 1900 such as Isadora Duncan and La Belle Otero. His Dance History Gallery series is considered the most valuable tool for dance historians. He is currently working on the history of dance in the Eastern Mediterranean before 1900.
He has authored more than 20 books on dance, culture and management, and more than 100 articles. He has edited other 30 books, 11 CD-ROM volumes, 6 CDs, 2 DVDs and a bi-monthly review with over 110 issues.
Dr. Raftis is currently president of the International Dance Council CID at UNESCO, Paris. Since 1987 he is president of the national Dora Stratou Dance Theatre and Company in Athens.