On Saturday 12 November, Akrites tou Pontou and friends gathered at Normanby House in Thornbury to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Melbourne’s newest Pontian association.
Over 220 guests were joined by His Grace Bishop Evmenios of Kerasounta, President of the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne & Victoria, Mr Bill Papastergiadis, Mr Peter Stefanidis President of the Federation of Pontian Associations of Australia, representatives of the Consul General of Greece, resident of the Justice for Cyprus Committee (SEKA), Mr Tony Kyriakou, as well as representatives from fellow Pontian associations of Sydney and Adelaide, the Assyrian community and also Armenian cultural associations.
Master of Ceremonies for the evening was former footballer and media personality, Mr Andrew Paschalidis, who gracefully reflected on his own links to the Pontian community in Sydney as well as his personal connection to the Federation of Pontian Associations of Australia.
Akrites’ young president, Mr Harry Tsairis, reflected on the successes of his club and his rise from dancer to president of Akrites Tou Pontou. His sentiment was echoed by Mr Bill Papastergiadis who remarked on the special collaborations and performances of the Akrites dance group at the Lonsdale Street Greek Festival over the years. Such performances have transformed the Festival as Mr Papastergiadis himself, expressed the importance of the collaborations with Australia’s First Nations people, Armenians, Assyrians and Maoris.
Guests were entertained by the Akrites tou Pontou Senior and Junior Dance Group, as well as two exceptional guest musicians from Greece, Mr Vasilios Topalidis on vocals and Mr Rafail Alexandridis on the lyra who kept the large crowd entertained and their talents ensured the dance floor was at capacity all through the night. They were joined by Melbourne’s own George Bletas on keyboards and Theodoros Kostidis on daouli.
Akrites Tou Pontou was established in 2012 aiming to unite people with a passion for Pontian culture here in the Greek diaspora of Australia. What started as a small club consisting of a handful of family friends has seen a significant growth in the last 10 years.
Since its inception, Akrites Tou Pontou has continued to express their passion for Greek Pontian
culture through traditional dancing, and although they seek to keep the traditions alive and honor
them, they simultaneously aim to challenge the way in which Pontian dancing is viewed and performed
from the perspectives of 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation Greek-Pontian immigrants.
Every performance is unique, often surpassing people’s expectations. Having successfully worked with various cultural groups at Antipodes Festivals, including the Aborigines in 2016, its most standout performance to date, “Phoenix of Dreamtime”.
This was the beginning of an era of cross-collaboration with various cultural groups; Melbourne Georgian Choir in 2017 and with a Maori group in 2018 in “Argonauts of the Pacific ”, a narrative-based performance. Connections were made in shared tragic histories of genocide and uprooting as well as shared experiences of diaspora.
Akrites Tou Pontou is also very active in participating in the commemoration of the Greek Pontian, Assyrian and Armenian Genocides that occurred in the early 20th century, through attending lectures, ceremonies, conventions interstate and various commemorations every year.
As one of the major Pontian clubs of Melbourne, there is immense focus not only on preserving the Pontian culture and traditions but also to teach the dance group members valuable life skills that they can translate into all aspects of their every day and professional lives. Each individual’s skills are encouraged in relation to their culture and identity. Akrites is constantly seeking to grow our family through our dance group and our cultural collaborations, ensuring that the vibrancy of Pontian culture is shared with all.
If you are interested in joining Akrites Tou Pontou and learning to dance Pontian, Akrites offer Junior and Senior Dance lessons on Thursdays 7pm to 7.30pm for Juniors and 7.30pm for Seniors. Find us at 317 Victoria rd, Thornbury.
Contact us at @Akrites_aus or info@akrites.org.au.
