NEW YORK – More than 300 children participating in the Parathosi 2016 – Hellenic Heritage & Dance Festival dazzled the audience with exceptional performances of traditional dances from all Hellenic regions at Lefrak Concert Hall at Queens College on February 27.
“This is a great achievement” Archbishop Demetrios declared, prompting a burst of applause from the hundreds who filled the orchestra and balcony, family members and friends of the dancers, some of whom were younger than eight and ranged up to 18 years old.
Demetrios expressed his deepest thanks to all who made the event and the area’s dance groups possible, including Deacon Panagiotis Papazafiropoulos the director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries for the Direct Archdiocesan District which organized the event, Emcee Anthoula Katsimatides, and the parents and volunteers.
Choreographer Petros Fourniotes, who works with several of the groups, including the Church of Kimisis of Brooklyn and the Chian Federation, was also lauded by the Archbishop for his contributions.
The irrepressible Katsimatides kept the day long program moving with humor-laced commentary, her enthusiasm for the presentations of all the children rivalled only by her love of Nisyros – Archbishop Demetrios noted the island’s name was the event’s most frequently heard word.
There were frequent shouts of “Brooklyn!” however, foreshadowing the dominant presence of that borough’s dancers at the awards ceremony.
Kimisis groups took first and second prize in Division 3, the 9-11 year-olds, and first prize in Division 2, the 12-14 year olds.
First prize among the oldest dancers, however, was awarded to the Chian Federation’s troupe, led by Fourniotes– second prize in Division 1 went to the Church of Our Savior of Rye, NY.
Long Island pride was redeemed by the Church of the Assumption of Port Jefferson, which placed second in Division 2.
Bishop Andonios of Phasiane and Bishop Sevastianos of Zelon joined the Archbishop onstage for the presentation of the awards and commemorative photos.
Greek dance programs for children have evolved into a powerful vehicle for promoting Greek heritage and culture and fellowship among the community’s youth. The Archbishop told of how impressed he was at the recent 40th Anniversary of the Folk Dance and Choral Festival of the Metropolis of San Francisco where over 2,500 participants and their families came from 34 parishes across nine states.
While the power of dance as an expression of Hellenic identity is obvious, while the judges were tallying their votes the Archbishop spoke of the primordial roots and spiritual dimensions of dance, which he noted “is connected with every religion on Earth” and which is incorporated into worship as an expression of human ties to the divine.
“In our tradition there is dance in the Baptism service….in the ordination and wedding service there is Dance of Isaiah…there is dance as a very sacred expression” of the human body during worship, which is natural given, as some guests noted, that Orthodoxy sees man a unity of soul and body. “It is sacred worship of God through the language of dance,” said the Archbishop, who has enjoyed professional dance troupes rendering the texts of the bible through dance.
Deacon Panagioti Papazafiropoulos has been the director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries for the Direct Archdiocesan District since 2014 and Parathosi began that year at St. Demetrios in Astoria.
He agreed that the children are having fun – “They are thrilled,” and that they are also motivated by the appreciation and joy expressed by the adults.
The celebration began the night before the festive with the Parathosiako Glendi at Terrace on the Park and Deacon Panagioti said “I saw all the kid get up and dance and they knew more dances than some of their Yiayades and Papoudes” – grandparents. It was empowering to see this new generation of dancers re-igniting the tradition.”
The children from the Church of the Assumption in Port Jefferson, NY are called the Rythmos Hellenic Dancers. The groups were founded on an informal basis by Maria and Dora Gasparis and Maria Franks founded in 2011.
Their experience reflected that of most of the approximately 22 groups that participated in the event. Maria Gasparis, who has roots in Nafpaktos and Rhodes, told TNH “We figured let’s get the kids together and see if they enjoy it and over five years they competed four times in Annapolis. They won awards and they enjoy doing it and we enjoy watching them develop their dancing.”
Stavros Karakatsanis, one of the Port Jefferson instructors, has performed Greek dances for the Team Odysseus group in Belgium, where he grew up, and the famed Dora Stratou dance troupe. He praised the Greek-American community’s efforts to preserve its heritage. “In Belgium we went to Greece every year but in America you are far away, yet you preserve your heritage.”
This is the second year Katsimatides was the Emcee, “but I was always involved with Parathosi in some shape or form. It is getting better every year. Kudos to everyone on the committee and Deacon Panagioti for their time and efforts. It is so crucial for us to do these kinds of events and to pass along our parathosi. It’s so inspiring to see these kids come together through music and dance and camaraderie.”