Turkey Claims Pontic Greek Dance as Its Own, Breaks Guinness Record

Turkey just set a Guinness World Record using a Pontic Greek dance, presenting it to the world as a traditional Turkish folk dance.

Around 5,000 participants took part in the event, organized by the Turkish Dance Federation. When the Guinness representative announced the result, he declared the federation "the new holder of the Guinness World Record for the largest Turkish traditional dance." The Pontic dance, which originates from the Greek communities of the Black Sea region, was framed throughout as part of Turkey's own cultural heritage.

The Pontic Greeks' culture survived a genocide — now their dance is being exported as Turkish heritage.

Turkish media gave the story wide coverage, reinforcing the claim that the dance belongs to Turkish tradition. No distinction was made between the Pontic Greek origins of the dance and the Turkish cultural identity being promoted around it.

The Pontic Greeks are an ethnic Greek population historically rooted in the Black Sea coast of Asia Minor. Their culture, including their distinctive music and dance traditions, survived the Pontic Genocide of the early 20th century and remains a living part of Greek identity worldwide. The appropriation of Pontic dance as a Turkish cultural export is being viewed by many Greeks as a continuation of a pattern of cultural erasure.

Greece's SKAI network was among the first to cover the story.