Hellenic Dance Troupe

There are hundreds of Greek dances but every Greek folk dance group knows several basic dances, done by all Greeks, such as the Kalamtiano syrto (literally meaning “to pull”). But the background of each church’s parishoners does certainly influence which others will be taught and performed. Many families of St. Demetrios come from the Aegean Islands and Crete. But in 2003, when the theme of our festival show was “Dances of Our Ancestors,” we discovered that every region of Greece, and even Asia Minor, was represented by at least one of our dancers’ families, so we try to teach as much a variety as possible.

Each year, our festival shows have a different theme: “A Tour of Greece-1999”, “Tribute to the 20th Century-2000”, “A Village Wedding-2001,” “Remembering Asia Minor-2002,” “Dances of Our Ancestors-2003”, and “The Olympic Games-2004.” In creating these programs, we strive to focus on various dances of the many regions. We are always trying to expand the number of dances in our repertoire. In addition to the ones handed down by past instructors at St. Demetrios, we have also learned from instructors from the other Cleveland churches, Olympia Christides of Sts. Constantine and Helen and Freda Vassilakis of Annunciation. Our own Presvytera Kathryn shared some choreography from Cincinnati, where she grew up. And our 2003 guest instructor, Staci Lagouteris, taught us several dances done by the adult dance group in Orlando, Florida.

We also attend the annual Diocese of Pittsburgh Dance Workshops, taught by visiting professional folk groups such as the Hellas Dancers of Clearwater, Florida, led by Keith Mastorides.

And we encourage any dancers who visit Greece with their families, to observe the dances done in their region and bring back recordings, if possible.