The National Union of Greek Australian Students (NUGAS) partnered with Pontiaki Estia on Tuesday, March 17, to host a traditional Greek dance workshop led by Pontiaki Estia instructor Penny Tsombanopoulos.
Held at the Pontiaki Estia Brunswick venue, the workshop brought together NUGAS committee members, representatives from affiliate clubs, members of Pontiaki Estia, and newcomers, all eager to learn a range of dances from the Pontos region.
Reflecting on the event, workshop attendee Anna Katsoulis told The Greek Herald, “I really loved that there was an opportunity to go to Pontiaki Estia and learn some dances from one of their instructors. Penny explained things well and clearly.”
Katsoulis described the workshop as an accessible way to connect with her heritage.
“Since I didn’t have too many opportunities growing up to learn about Pontian dances (despite being partially Pontian!),” she said.
“NUGAS is really helping me to explore my cultural identity as of late in what I feel is a very inclusive environment.”
The workshop is part of an ongoing series of traditional Greek dance workshops run by NUGAS. A previous session, held in December, focused on dances from the Macedonia region and was taught by Epiphany Kiriakidis, dance teacher at The Cultural Centre of Florinians «Aristotelis».
These workshops are free, open to the public and aim to unite Melbourne’s Greek community through a a shared love of traditional Greek dance.
