Keeping culture and history alive: Pontians from Canberra hold first-ever Panagia Dance

·

For the first time ever, a special dance took place at the Greek Orthodox Church Hall of Saint Demetrios in Queanbeyan to celebrate the Dormition of the Virgin Mary.

As one of the biggest feast days on the Greek Orthodox calendar, the event held by the Canberra Association of Pontos ‘Trapezounta’ paid tribute to the Monastery of Panagia Soumela in Pontos.

Taking place on Saturday, 31 August at 6.30pm, the inaugural event welcomed more than 120 people from Canberra, Queanbeyan, Sydney and surrounds for a night of food, music, dance, and culture.

In attendance were many distinguished guests including the Ambassador of Greece to Australia, Stavros Venizelos; the High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus to Australia, Antonis Sammoutis; Military Attache of the Greek Embassy, Colonel Ioannis Fasianos; Father Petros Kipouros of Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Kingston; Hellenic Club of Canberra director, John Loukadellis.

The event featured speeches followed by plenty of entertainment. Live music was performed by Pontian musicians from Canberra and Sydney, including Kyriakos Fotiadis (lyra and vocals), Adamos Neou (lyra), and Prodromos Moysiadis and Peter Tsenkas (daouli).

Audiences were also treated to a performance by the Canberra Hellenic Dancers Atalanti group, who showcased a series of Pontian dances which were a crowd favourite.

Throughout the night, people indulged in a plate of delicious Greek food including souvlakia, pites, tzatziki and salads. People later joined the dance floor for some traditional Pontian dancing. 

Keeping culture and history alive: Pontians from Canberra hold first-ever Panagia Dance

Canberra Association of Pontos ‘Trapezounta’ President Angie Triandafillou told The Greek Herald the night was about preserving Pontian culture.

“We are trying to keep our culture, our dance and our history alive,” Angie said.

“We’re still struggling for genocide recognition of the Pontic Greeks and the Christians of Asia Minor too.

“This event is a way of bringing everyone together and sharing our rich history, and I think all of us Greeks should join forces and support each other’s events.”

Vice President of the Association, Theodore Merkoureas said he felt proud to see so many people attend.

“It’s so nice to see people from all different regions of Greece get involved and support the association,” Theodore said.

“In Canberra, we don’t have too many dances, so we really want to try and hold a ‘dekapentavgousto’ dance every year if we can as it’s such a big holiday that we should be celebrating.”

Keeping culture and history alive: Pontians from Canberra hold first-ever Panagia Dance

Members of the Canberra Greek community also hoping to see the event return.

“I think it’s so special that we have events like this, because we’re getting people of all ages coming together and dancing and supporting one another,” Hellenic Youth Club Secretary Connie Kambouris said.

Canberra Hellenic Dancer Felicity Triantafillopoulos added, “It was just such a rewarding experience to be able to perform tonight and embrace the Pontian culture. I really love dancing Pontian, it’s just so invigorating.”

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

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

Advertisement

Latest News

Aaron Zerefos Enterprises acquires Fresco Beverages 

Aaron Zerefos has announced the acquisition of the Fresco Beverages business, enhancing his hold on the Australian drink distribution market. 

Feros Group to take over premier waterfront venue in Darling Harbour

The Feros Group has announced they now own and operate the iconic Helm Bar & Bistro in Sydney's Darling Harbour.

Peter Mamouzelos aims to play in Greece as rugby league grows

Peter Mamouzelos has expressed his ambition to play rugby league in Greece, a goal that has been hindered in the past due to the sport's ban.

Trust-building steps taken in Cyprus, but peace talks still elusive

Cyprus' rival leaders, Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar, made some progress on Wednesday.

Greece to invest 25 billion euros in major defence revamp

Greece is set to invest 25 billion euros in a comprehensive defence overhaul, marking the "most drastic" transformation in its modern history.

You May Also Like

South Sydney Rabbitohs boss Nick Pappas comments on future of coach Jason Demetriou

South Sydney Rabbitohs chairman Nick Pappas has made comments on the NRL coach Jason Demetriou’s future following rumours of his departure.

‘Wogs Boys Forever’ to premiere in Melbourne and Sydney in September

Steve 'The Wog Boy' Karamitsis is back with his best mate Frank for the franchise's third instalment: Wog Boys Forever.

Australian Ambassador to Greece meets with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

Australia's Ambassador to Greece, Alison Duncan recently met with His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Istanbul, Turkey.