The Orpheus Dance Troupe made its second appearance in
Greece this year! On September 22nd and 23rd, veteran Orpheus dancers Alexander
Kapotas and Christina Pagones represented the United States at the 1st Annual Celebration
of Greek Artists Abroad in Athens, Greece. The show was part of the Festival of
Athens, which takes place every summer at the Odeon of Herodus Atticus at the foot of the
Acropolis. A
total of ten international Greek folk dance troupes were selected to send two dancers of
Greek descent, one male and one female, to travel to Athens to participate in this
exciting new addition to this prestigious festival. Alexander and Christina joined
18 other dancers from Australia, Mexico, Switzerland, England, the Czech Republic, Cyprus
and Germany to form the first ever performance of the Global Greek Dance Troupe. By
performing as a group, each dancer not only represented their country of origin, but also
symbolized the one bond that each of them shared -- their Hellenic heritage and love of
Greek dance.
"Today, after a
long delay, there is at last in Greece a real concern about Greek communities
abroad," commented Stelios Elliniades, coordinator of the festival. "These
people have managed to keep their identity out of a deep inner need and a deep historical
awareness."
After
the opening remarks, the Global Greek Dance Troupe began the show with two island dances.
They entered the theatre with "Ta Xila", a variation of Syrto and continued with
the energetic "Patima" from the island of Limnos, in which each dancer left the
end of the line with a series of turns across the marble dance floor to make their way to
the beginning of the line.
The female dancers wore a traditional costume from the island of Thassos,
complete with a characteristic headpiece consisting of a large floral- patterned red
scarf. The men were dressed in the Cypriot "vraka."
What followed was a spectacular series of performances, with over 250
performers of Greek descent sharing the stage of the ancient theatre for two nights
of dance, music and song under the illuminated Parthenon. The show made an
incredible effort to gather Greeks from even the most remote areas of the world.
Included in the event were a young group of Pontian dancers from Asia Minor, the nomadic
Sarakatsanoi tribe from Bulgaria, a London-based orchestra and a Ukranian choir
whose selections included the church hymns "Ti Ipermaho" and "I Yenisi
Sou." In addition to pieces of Greek heritage, some of the performers presented
traditional selections from their country of origin, such as the dance
"Tarantela," performed by an Italian dance troupe from Sicily.
At the conclusion of the show, the Global
Greek Dance Troupe entered the theatre once again, dancing and singing the refrains of
"Tsakonikos", winding their way to the center of the stage. On both
evenings, the audience rose to its feet and could be heard singing the familiar lyrics
along with the dance troupe. A "Kalamatiano" concluded the show, and the
audience again participated -- clapping and singing to express their enthusiasm to see a
group of ethnic Greek young adults from around the world performing traditional songs and
dances from the land of their ancestors. The men wore the traditional
"foustanela" costume, while the women danced in the classic Desfina costume worn
in villages of the Fokida region of Greece.
After exiting the stage, each pair of
dancers walked to the center of the stage and announced their names and their home
country to the audience, amid appreciative cheers and applause. It was a very moving
moment for the dancers, who experienced firsthand the excitement of performing in Greece! |