The Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM) recently held its annual dinner dance, a sold-out event in collaboration with the GCM Dance Group.
Paying homage and championing Greek tradition, the evening began with a welcome from the GCM dancers in all their glory, complete with traditional costumes – setting the stage for an evening of joy and cultural immersion for all in attendance.
Their dances included an array of traditional dances from the Peloponnese and central Greece.
One of the highlights of the dinner dance was the performance of Spyros Siolos and Vaggelis Pantioras with their traditional acoustic set. The two traveled from Greece to Melbourne and were joined on stage by the Melbourne-based Demotika Hellenic Folk Music Band.
GCM President Bill Papastergiadis was in attendance and shared his thoughts on the vent in a GCM press release.
“It was heartening to see the room largely filled with young people who are developing a strong connection to their culture and to the GCM,” he said.
“These events constitute an important link for the continuity of our organization, and I congratulate the GCM Dance Group and its leader Nick PapefthimIou for his leadership and his efforts to develop this link.”
PapefthimIou, leader and instructor of the GCM Dance group, commented on how dance keeps us connected to ourselves.
“Dance transcends simple steps to become the art of interpreting music and revealing its authenticity. It’s not about conforming to identical routines but about expressing your unique personality,” he said in the statement.
“Through grounded feet and spontaneous creativity, dance becomes a personal embodiment of music. This is why we are committed to organizing these dinner dances, because our goal is to guide the younger generation by making them understand that dancing is not just about memorizing steps, but also about learning to express yourself through connection deep and interpretation of music.
Meanwhile, GCM member Tass Sgardelis explained how this keeps us connected to our heritage, saying it “testifies to the keen spirit and strong unity within our community”.
“Seeing young dancers connect to their cultural heritage and roots is of the utmost importance to us, especially in preserving and celebrating our Greek heritage. »
