Cretan ball in Sydney provides annual dancing and music extravaganza

·

Cretan youth dressed proudly in traditional costumes, alongside families, friends and supporters of the Cretan Association of Sydney & New South Wales, turned up in droves to Marrickville Town Hall in Sydney’s inner west on Saturday, May 13 for the Association’s annual ball.

Cretan youth.
Attendees.

The ball is held to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of Crete and this year, there were a number of distinguished guests in attendance.

Some of the official guests.
Some of the official guests.

This included, but is not limited to, Guest of Honour and Chief of Staff of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, Lieutenant General Georgios Kiriakou; Commander Stylianos Mitsiotis from the Hellenic Navy; Colonel Ioannis Fasianos, Defence Attaché from the Embassy of Greece in Canberra; the Trade Commissioner of Greece in Australia, Chrysa Prokopaki; Bishop Christodoulos of Magnesia; Mayor of the Inner West Council, Darcy Byrne; Inner West Councillor Zoi Tsardoulias; the President of the Cretan Association of Sydney & NSW, Emmanuel Vitetzakis; the President of the Joint Committee for the Commemoration of the Battle of Crete, James Jordan; the President of the Cretan Federation of Australia and New Zealand, Tony Tsourdalakis; and Dr Stephen Townsend, Commander RAN Rtd.

Some of the official guests.
Some of the official guests.
Attendees.
Attendees.
Young and old attended the event.

As with any ball, there were official proceedings on the night such as one minute’s silence, a blessing by Bishop Christodoulos, and a number of speeches by Mr Vitetzakis, Mayor Byrne and the Lieutenant General. Gifts were then exchanged between the Cretan Association and the distinguished guests.

Exchange of gifts with Cretan musicians.
Exchange of gifts.

Afterwards, the musicians from Crete, Antonis Kourakis, Anastasis Bouchlis and Anastasios Georgakakis, with the support of Alexander Mountakis, played traditional Cretan music as the Cretan Association’s junior, intermediate and senior dancing groups performed.

Cretan musicians.
Cretan dancing on the night.
Cretan dancing on the night.

The fantastic music and dance display was followed up by everyone in attendance taking to the dance floor and busting a move or two.

*All photos copyright The Greek Herald / Andriana Simos.

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

From crisis to compassion: Timos Roussos and his family’s mercy mission in war-torn Cyprus

When Turkish troops landed on Cyprus on 20 July 1974, six-year-old Timos Roussos was sitting on the floor of his family’s home in Lemesos.

A granddaughter returns: Georgia Georgiou retraces her yiayia’s occupied village in Cyprus

When Georgia Georgiou handed over her Cypriot ID at the border checkpoint to cross into occupied northern Cyprus, she felt an ache.

‘You never get over it’: A childhood shattered by the Turkish invasion of Cyprus

On a warm July morning in 1974, 10-year-old Anastasia Di Loreto (née Karatzia) was jolted awake by the sound of bombs falling on Kyrenia.

Cyprus: The paradox of tolerance and impunity for Turkey

The lack of a unified, systematic and practical strategy on the part of Greece has led the Cyprus crisis into national disarray.

Lost homes and lingering hope: Greek-Cypriots reflect on Turkish invasion and its aftermath

From hidden stories to haunting memories, two Greek-Cypriot men share what it means to carry the burden of Cyprus’ past.

You May Also Like

Australians of Greek heritage among rugby’s most powerful

NRL’s most influential figures for 2024 have been revealed with at least four Australians of Greek heritage are listed.

Two years without the giant of Greek language education Panagiotis Liveriadis

Two years ago, the hierophant of Greek language education, Panagiotis St. Liveriadis, an honest patriot and selfless Greek, passed away.

George Lekakis appointed to lead Victoria’s fight against antisemitism

George Lekakis has been appointed to lead a new advisory group called the Local Escalation And Help (LEAH) group.