In Nikos Kazantzakis’ novel, Zorba the Greek, dance has a great importance. The transposition of the novel into a ballet by Lorca Massine (1987) simplified the novel's complexity, thus “rejuvenating” the ancient world described by Kazantzakis. The contrast of Apollonian vs. Dionysian is entrusted to the style of the protagonists. They propose the modern heritage of traditional Greece, imposing a new dance tradition (syrtaki), based on ancient and popular reminiscences—a new myth. This contribution aims to analyze how dance becomes expressed thus revealing of collective identity, in the transposition from the novel into a ballet through the movie.