Members of the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia’s (GOCSA) Administrative Council will travel to Melbourne, Victoria this weekend in support of the GOCSA Dance Academy and the Greek Community of Melbourne’s (GCM) Antipodes Festival 2023.
The GOCSA Dance Academy will be performing at the two-day festival, held in Melbourne’s historic Greek precinct of Lonsdale Street.
Packed with live entertainment, cultural displays, traditional food and more, the Antipodes Festival holds the title of Melbourne’s longest running Greek Festival, launched in 1987.
The trip to Melbourne will also provide an opportunity for newly elected members of GOCSA to meet with Board members of the GCM, in a bid to strengthen friendships with interstate Hellenes and Philhellenes.
President of GOCSA, Peter Gardiakos, said: “I am so proud of our dance academy. They have been at the heart of our community for many years, showcasing not just their passion for dance, but also their willingness and desire to promote a very rich cultural history through dance and traditional costume.”
“We’re honoured to travel over there and support them this year. The Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne & Victoria, under the leadership of Bill Papastergiadis, has grown phenomenally over the past decade. We have much to learn from organisations such as GOCMV and I’m really excited to get over there and see how they do things, and how we can model that within our own community,” Mr Gardiakos added.
Cultural committee chair and Dance coordinator, Hellas Lucas, said: “Our dance academy has once again been asked to perform at the Antipodes Festival this year, so it goes to show how well-regarded our dancers are.”
“It is quite humbling for our academy to be asked to dance at an interstate festival. Dancing brings people together. If we can do that, whilst promoting our culture and our home state of South Australia, it’s a win-win for everyone,” Ms Lucas added.
“Lots of studies, including a recent one by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, found that by participating in traditional Greek dancing you can improve your cardiovascular health as well as your strength, endurance and jumping.”
