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Kristina from Yia.Mas and Maria sit down to talk about Kabanes, and more importantly the trivialization of folk culture.

We continued our conversation from the Ethos 2026 panel, with some new guests to try to connect to what research means in Greek folk dance, and how that research is presented on stage. Lots of discussion and laughs later, it's safe to say we need a part 3, 4, 5 to this. Thank you to our guests: Dean Avdalas, Dimitris Dallas, Bobby Garofalis, and Andonis Platis!

Dimitri was first on the podcast during Season 4, we're excited to learn a bit more about how he has grown the Meraki Laographic Arts program over the past two plus years!

From Las Vegas to Athens: Getting to know Dr. Panagiote Tsolis

Dr. Panagiote Tsolis was raised with deep roots in the Greek American community of Long Beach, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada, for Las Vegas served on the Parish Council and as Folk Dance Board President for St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church. Passionate about his heritage and global business, he now serves as the Director of Business Programs and Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Hellenic American University. Drawing on his years as an executive for Fortune 500 companies and multiple start-ups, he gives students real-world experience and guidance in their careers in Greece and abroad.

Dr. Tsolis is a staunch supporter of the Greek community, having served on the management committee for the Metropolis of San Francisco’s Folk Dance Festival. In recognition of his dedication, he was selected for the Greek American Foundation’s Forty Under 40 class of 2024. Additionally, he welcomes students from top-tier universities to visit businesses and work on projects in Greece. He holds a Ph.D. in Global Leadership and Change from Pepperdine University, with his dissertation focused on sustainable tourism in Greece.

Izaki Metropoulos is a Chicago-born, third-generation Greek American violinist-- and the first musician in his family. Nearly two decades ago, he began exploring Greece’s violin traditions, crossing genres from Nisiotika to Rebetika. His path has ranged from taking first place at age 10 in the Midwest Fiddle Championship to appearing as an operatic tenor soloist with the Berkshire Symphony Orchestra. He also performs repertoire from the wider Balkans and Ottoman classical music and is passionate about musical syncretism across the Mediterranean-- especially adaptations of makam (modal) systems and the meditative, evocative taksim that express them. He continues to perform and teach across North America, specializing in the beautiful and varied music of the Cyclades.

George Papadopoulos was born and raised in Anthousa, Kozanis, Greece, leaving and coming to America as a young adult.  Missing his homeland and his love for the culture and traditions, he created the Sons & Daughters of Alexander the Great Dance Group in 1972 to continuously promote the Greek Culture, history, and traditions of dance.  The Sons & Daughters of Alexander the Great is part of the youth Chapter of the Pan Macedonian Association of America.

The group first started with 8 members and quickly grew.  Over the fifty years, the group has brought together more than a thousand members of the Hellenic community teaching them the music and dance traditions of their Hellenic ancestry. 

Although George no longer dances with the group, he still attends weekly practices and remains very active as the director in the organization.  George's dedication to our Greek heritage is truly admirable and we are immensely grateful to have such an impactful community leader as our founder. 

Haralampos Stathopoulos: 

For the past sixteen years, I have been a proud member of The Sons and Daughters of Alexander the Great, I began my journey as a dancer, but over time my role grew to include leadership positions on the board, serving as both Vice President and President, before ultimately stepping into the role of instructor—a responsibility I continue to hold with pride today. Beyond my work with the group, I have sought to deepen my knowledge by attending workshops to learn dances from across Greece, broadening both my skill set and appreciation for the country’s diverse traditions. Over the years, I have performed at countless Greek church festivals throughout the region and have had the privilege of traveling and performing in Greece multiple times with the group. While my love for Greek dance and tradition runs deep, I am equally passionate about fostering and sustaining this cultural legacy in my community and throughout New England, ensuring that these dances and customs continue to be shared and celebrated for generations to come.

Stefania Calogrias:

I was introduced to Greek dancing at the age of 7 by my mother and father, who taught me the dances from their villages of Politsani, Vorio Epirus and Xironomi, Viotia respectively.  It was then my love for Greek Dancing was born.  Throughout my youth I danced at my church's dance group until graduating from High School.  I joined the Sons & Daughters of Alexander the Great Dance Group a little over 12 years ago as a dancer before being elected to the board where I held the roles of Vice President and Secretary, to my current role as "right hand to our director" George Papadopoulos, where I coordinate practices, performance scheduling and programs as well as being honored with the responsibility to teach a long side Haralampos at various times.  We, the Sons & Daughters perform at many church festivals throughout the area, cultural events at local schools where we promote our Greek Culture, we often go to New York to participate in events with the Pan Macedonian Association as well as performing in Greece. The Sons & Daughters also was the first ever Greek dance group to perform for the Boston Celtics Greek Heritage Night. 

Any opportunity I can, I attend Greek dance conferences, or exhibits held in the area to enrich my knowledge not just of dance, the music, the instruments, and the Greek culture in general.   My love for Greek dancing and continuing to promote Greek Culture as the diaspora here in the US,  is not only shared with my fellow dancers and also with the youth of my church where I have been co-directing for the last 9 years.

Christopher C. King is a Grammy-winning producer, musicologist as well as a prominent 78 rpm collector. He has been profiled in the New York Times Magazine and the Washington Post, and has written for the Paris Review, the Oxford American and Airmail News.

Christopher was born and raised in southwest Virginia and studied philosophy at Radford University. Over the course of the last ten years, he has researched the tradition of Greek demotika songs, especially in Epirus. In 2018, W.W. Norton published his book, Lament from Epirus: An Odyssey into Europe’s Oldest Surviving Folk Music, to wide critical acclaim. His book was named one of the top ten books of 2018 by the Wall Street Journal and Christopher has presented his work at the New York Public Library, the Gennadius Library of Athens as well as the Athens Conservatoire, among other venues.

He currently splits his time between the United States and Greece.

Lament From Epirus is available for purchase on Amazon.com

Sound Resources:

https://soundcloud.com/long-gone-sound

https://www.amazon.com/Lament-Style-1929-1931-Kitsos-Harisiadis/dp/B07CXBXRB2/ref=pd_sbs_1?pd_rd_w=r5806&pf_rd_p=527ea27c-adf6-4b67-9c5f-265eb29e0622&pf_rd_r=B3AESBYYWFX8E1T6FJG4&pd_rd_r=e828016d-282a-4fd5-8181-2aa73916ab0f&pd_rd_wg=mmzyu&pd_rd_i=B07CXBXRB2&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Why-Mountains-Are-Black-1907-1960/dp/B019K8AMZK/ref=pd_sbs_2?pd_rd_w=r5806&pf_rd_p=527ea27c-adf6-4b67-9c5f-265eb29e0622&pf_rd_r=B3AESBYYWFX8E1T6FJG4&pd_rd_r=e828016d-282a-4fd5-8181-2aa73916ab0f&pd_rd_wg=mmzyu&pd_rd_i=B019K8AMZK&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Lament-Epirus-1926-1928-Alexis-Zoumbas/dp/B07XGSF26Y/ref=pd_sbs_3?pd_rd_w=r5806&pf_rd_p=527ea27c-adf6-4b67-9c5f-265eb29e0622&pf_rd_r=B3AESBYYWFX8E1T6FJG4&pd_rd_r=e828016d-282a-4fd5-8181-2aa73916ab0f&pd_rd_wg=mmzyu&pd_rd_i=B07XGSF26Y&psc=1

Paul Calzada was born and raised in Jacksonville, FL before moving to Hollywood, FL at a young age. He recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from University of Florida and is currently pursuing a PhD in Computer Engineering from there as well. He is a "Gruban" (Greek Cuban) American; His father is from Cuba and his mother's parents are from Greece, specifically Kremasti, Rhodes and Agrosikia, Pellas (Pontian roots). He began his dance journey in Hollywood, FL from a young age in elementary through high school under the direction of different instructors: first Anna Karan, then Aleko Sofianos, and finally Jordan Elrod. All of whom taught him various aspects of the Greek folk music and dance tradition. This group in Hollywood, Klironomia, performed at various local and metropolis functions including festivals, fundraisers, and the Hellenic Dance Festival for many years, winning various awards.

In university, he desired to bring the same fervor for Greek dance to his college town in Gainesville, FL by directing the Greek American Student Association dance group with UF. The group labeled the "UF GASA Dancers" performed at various university and local functions. He then founded the Afieroma Greek Dance Program at St. Elizabeth Greek Orthodox church in Gainesville in 2018 to bring the dance community into the church. He is currently director of the college age group and enjoys teaching various dances from all over Greece with great emphasis on the Dodecanese. The group attended its first HDF in 2020, competing and winning awards in the Senior category for its Agios Dimitrios, Karystos, Evia and Monastiraki, Drama performances. Paul greatly enjoys being able to teach authentic and unique content while dancing with his closest friends.

His contact information is below:

Paul Calzada

Email: paul.calzada@ufl.edu

Dimitri Papadimitriou is a native of Atlanta, GA. His dance and music journey began at the age of five. Under the direction of Eleni Apostolakos-Hopes, his knowledge and love for dance grew like wildfire. He and his sister were some of the first and youngest children in the community to perform with the adult dance group. Through the years, he has attended seminars around the US learning from instructors such as Joe Graziosi, Nikos Zournatzidis, Lazaros Hatzipanayiotou, Christos Papakostas, Kyriako Moissidis and many more. In his early twenties, he took on the role of director of the adult dance group of the Atlanta community and has been teaching since. Under Dimitri’s direction, the group has performed for various events around the Atlanta area and southeast. Similarly, the group has enjoyed continued growth and success by way of several medals at HDF and FDF including the 2007 FDF Division 1 Sweepstakes award in Ontario, California. Codirecting with Sandy Papadopoulos, Troupe Hellas was one of the first groups from the East coast to ever win the award. 

Dimitri was also born with a passion for music. His mother paved the traditional music path by starting him in dance. His father, lead singer and bouzkouki player in the Alpha Omega Sound band, encouraged his growth as a percussionist and enrolled him in lessons with reknowned drummer, Jerry Fields (the Hampton Grease band) when he was 13. Dimitri later joined his father’s band at 17 years old. His traditional dance music path began at age 16 when he bought his first daouli from percussion legend George Gevgelis while visiting in Athens, Greece. Since, he has been self taught and continues to learn and play traditional Greek percussion instruments. In the early 2000s, he met lifelong friends Dimitrios Dallas and John Themelis and formed the music ensemble Endasi. Along with other friends, musicians and collaborators, Endasi still performs today. 

We sat down for a great conversation with Maria Koulouris Glanz and Christos Pantieras of Ethos Greek Folklore Association based out of Ottawa, Canada. They shared with us their journeys in Greek dance, and how Ethos is supporting the preservation of Hellenic Folklore today. You can learn more about Ethos using the link below. Maria and Christos, we loved having you on, and can't wait to chat again about some of the deeper topics that did not fully make it into this episode.

https://www.ethosgreekfolklore.org/about

Episode music provided by Endasi

Nick Vosinas has been dancing and instructing with various groups throughout central New Jersey. He is the head GOYA dance instructor at St. Anna, Flemington (since 2013), Head GOYA dance instructor at St. George, Piscataway (since 2016), Artistic Director (since 2019) and Historian (since 2014) of the Hellenic Dancers of NJ.

HDNJ contact info:

hellenicdancersofnj.org

@HDNJ1972 (Instagram)

https://www.facebook.com/HellenicDancersOfNJ

hdnj1972@gmail.com

Mike has been dancing Greek folk dances for over 35 years. His love and interest in Greek folk dancing have led him to participate in several dance conferences throughout the east coast and Canada, learning from the best, authentic Greek folk dance instructors in the world. As the Dance Director for the Boston Lykeion Ellinidon, he has performed throughout New England and the east coast with the troupe. Outside of Greek dancing, Mike teaches 8th grade English Language Arts and Social Studies at a middle school in Framingham, Massachusetts.

For more information on the Boston Lykeion Ellinidon visit: https://www.bostonlykeion.org/

Or www.facebook.com/greekdance

In collaboration with the Hellenic Performing Arts Foundation, the 2026 Ethos Conference panel discussion centered on bringing research to stage. This episode features the recorded panel. For more information on the Ethos virtual conference and to view other presentations please visit www.hellenicperformingarts.org

Panel Guests:

Charlie Kleto

Dean Avdalas

Bobby Garofalis

Moderated by: Paul Calzada

Dean Avdalas has been a dancer and dance instructor in the Greek community of the Bay Area for over 30 years. His passion and love for Greek culture has led him to develop exemplary skills as a dancer, director, choreographer, and researcher. His main areas of research and interest include Epiros, Sarakatsan villages, and Megalo Monastiri (refugees residing in Neo Monastiri, Domokou, Thessalia).

Dean has presented groundbreaking work with the Albanian border villages of Northern Epiros and the customs of the Dodekaimerou in Neo Monastiri. He has amassed a vast collection of field research and music from all areas of Greece.

He served as judge at the Hellenic Dance Festival in the Metropolis of Atlanta since 2011 and at the Greek Orthodox dance festival FDF in the Metropolis of San Francisco (2013). His greatest source of inspiration and drive for Greek dance excellence and preservation are his mother and father (may their memories be eternal).

Yia Mas is founded by Greek American Kristina Maria Headrick. After witnessing the effects of Greece's devastating financial crisis on friends and family, Kristina felt compelled to share more about the country's culture and support Greece by bringing Greek wellness products to America. 

Yia Mas marries Kristina's Greek upbringing with her research on Greek philosophy, dance, design, and culture. Kristina's curiosity and appreciation for self-inquiry inspire her to share Greek folk remedies and ancient traditions and promote Greece beyond the usual diaspora narrative. 

Kristina holds a degree in history from the University of Virginia. She has extensive experience studying yoga and meditation (200-hour RYT, 100-hour meditation teacher training with Nalanda Institute of Contemplative Science, 75-hour training with Katonah Yoga, and the Mentorship program at Sky Ting Yoga in NYC). With a background in writing and digital marketing, her work attempts to bridge the gap between our increasingly digital realities and tactile experiences. She balances digital work with teaching movement and meditation, including in corporate and co-working space settings in New York City. 

Instagram:

@yia.mas

@kristinadelphi

www.yia-mas.com

Episode music: Manolis Kottoros

John grew up listening to Greek, Armenian, Turkish and Arabic music, and was interested in the sounds of the Balkans and Near East. Over the years, he has learned to perform on countless musical instruments from all parts of the Balkan/Near Eastern world. Of all of these instruments, the laouto, violin and tsampouna, have been his main focus, learning to recreate the strumming and playing style of the Cyclades, Dodekanese, Crete and the Mainland of Greece. He has performed throught the USA, Canada and Greece with the likes of Nikos Oikonomidis, Nikos Hatzopoulos, Nikos Sofos, Mavrothis Kontanis and the Maeandros ensemble, Demetri Tashie, Beth Bahia Cohen, Lefteris Bournias, Nikos Kouroupakis (of the renowned Trifono), Chronis Aidonidis and many others. He has collaborated with the members of the Internationally known Greek folk group, Endasi, since 2003 and as of 2018, has formed the Anemos Music Project with fellow laouto player, Vasilis Vassiliadis.

About the Anemos Music Project

The Anemos Music Project was formed out of the desire to play Greek Island music in its many forms, in its traditional style as well as the contemporary "neo-traditional" style, as it currently wildly popular in Greece. The core of this group revolves around the violin and the laouto, however, the beauty of the project is it's ability to adapt and assimilate as needed for any situation, from a bare bones "Nisiotko Takimi", to a Greek Folk orchestra (with the addition of Clarinet and percussion), to a full bouzouki style wedding band, and just about everything in between. The Anemos Project has become increasingly popular in the New York area since its inception and has been invited to perform at many prestigious events internationally.

Episode Music: The Anemos Music Project

Zaharoula Zogopoulos was born in New York City. She began her Greek folk dance studies while attending the St. Demetrios Day School of Astoria, NY where the love of Hellenic traditions was instilled in her from a young age. She began choreographing her highschool Greek Dance Team and performed with the Pan-Macedonian Association of New York. Parallel to her Greek folk dancing, she continued to train in classical dance in NYC. She went on to obtain a Bachelor of Arts in Drama, Theater, Dance and Choreography from CUNY Queens College, where she was awarded the “Farah Marcellus Award for Outstanding Choreography”. Zaharoula also holds a Master’s of Education Degree, certified in Elementary Education, Early Childhood, and Dance Education (K-12).

She founded the Greek Dance Program of the Archangel Michael Church in Long Island in 1999. Since then, the program has grown exponentially. Zaharoula has presented her work in many Hellenic cultural and charity events. The Archangelos program has also participated in the Parathosi Archdiocesan Competition of NY since 2017. In 2020, her dancers participated in the Greek Orthodox Folk Dance & Choral Festival (FDF) for the first time. Zaharoula continued directing for FDF, and most recently competed in the Hellenic Dance Festival (HDF) in 2023 making Archangel Michael Church the first church from New York to compete in such national competitions.

In her classes, she strives to create a warm and safe space for all children to feel inspired and learn the beautiful Hellenic customs through song and dance. Her mission remains to continue learning and growing as a dancer, director, researcher and choreographer. Zaharoula continues to conduct her research in Greece/US as authentically as possible with renowned dance experts as well as village elders and locals.

Episode Music Credit: Manolis Kottors

Bobby Garofalis is the currently the director of the Hellenic Youth Dancers at Saints Constantine and Helen in Newport News. Bobby has been involved with Greek dance for over 35 years. He is well versed in the dances of many areas of Greece (Pontos, Dodecanese, Thraki) with a special emphasis on Crete.

Bobby began as a dancer for the Hellenic Youth Dancers in 1990 and then became choreographer, director, and now lead Director/Administrator. He leads anywhere from 4-5 groups including the Adult Group Enosis who perform and compete in numerous events throughout the country. Bobby has been honored with 25 medals at HDF, including 13 platinum awards. At the 2012 Hellenic Dance Festival in Atlanta, Bobby was honored with the Director of the Year award.

Bobby was first introduced to Cretan dancing in the summer of 1985 when he was enrolled in the Xirouhakis Dance Studio in Chania. He has since been dancing Cretan for many years, and specifically in the last 6 years, he has researched and learned many of the old or "lost" Cretan dances. Bobby credits his research and expertise in Cretan Dancing to Vasili Contos from Long Beach, Manolis Fioretzis from Iraklion, Niko Archontakis from Chania, Petros Saridakis from Ethia and Stratis Skarakis from Kissamos. Most recently, Bobby befriended Nikos Giakoumakis from Chania, who collaborated with him to present a suite of dances and rizitika from the Rizinia region of Chania, a first in the United States which was awarded a Folk Expression award at HDF 2020.

Bobby believes that Greek dance is a lifelong journey, and that it is constantly evolving. It is a journey of learning and an opportunity to experience Greece's diverse culture and traditions.

Jimmy Debekos, native of Seattle, grew up between the States and Greece, specifically Arachova (Karyes Lakonia) When Jimmy returned to the States, he joined the local church dance troupe, in his late teens, early 20s, He found his love for dance washing dishes in his family’s restaurant to tape recordings. A natural performer, Jimmy shares with us his experiences with FDF, dance in Seattle, and his life on TikTok.

Kaeli McEnteer was born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina and has been Greek dancing for 15 years. She has just begun directing, having just concluded her first year as director of the Raleigh adult dance troupe “Ischis”. She grew up heavily involved with her home parish of Holy Trinity where her passion for dance was unlocked. Over the years Kaeli has expanded her knowledge of traditional dance through her former directors, going to HDF, doing her own research, attending workshops, and getting involved with other parishes. Kaeli is extremely passionate about dances from the region of Thrace and also enjoys the islands. Outside of Greek dance she is currently a Doctor of Physical Therapy Student.

Caterina Vasilaki was born and raised in Athens, Greece. She has been dancing ever since she can remember herself. At first following her yiayia and aunts at various panigiria in the Epirus region (homeland to her mother) during the summer vacations and then taking ballet classes in Athens. Then she got in touch with Latin dancing and how dance can be a part of everyday life in a trip she took in Latin America. As a kindergarten teacher employed by the Greek state she moved around different areas in Greece where she participated in local Greek dancing groups. A special time for her was when she was stationed in Crete where she became a member of the dancing group ‘Viglatores Chania’ that also became her chosen family. Her time in Chania has been an inspiration to her later development as she moved to Qatar and continued her dancing activities as a dance teacher and organizer of the Greek folk dancing group in Qatar. In 2021 she received her MSc degree in dance studies from the School of Physical Education and Sports of the University of Thrace.

Music and dance have always been an important part of Karolina Ketsiou’s life. At 5 years old, in Melbourne Australia, she took modern ballet and tap dancing lessons.  Her original Greek dance experience was learning the steps to kalamatiano, zorbas, tsamikos and other Greek dances that featured at weddings, christenings and other occasions. When she went to Cyprus she took Greek and Cypriot dance lessons. She was soon invited to be a member of the dance team that performed in hotels and restaurants, for tourists from all over the world, as well as at festivals and celebrations in local villages. When she arrived in Qatar, she mourned the loss of Greek dance, but within months, her love affair with Greek dance continued, thanks to a very special and committed group of proud Greeks, who welcomed her warmly into their dance family.

IG: GreekFolkDancingQatar

Niko, born and raised in the Kansas City area, his mom is an immigrant from Greece, and has always made Greek culture important to Niko and his sister. Niko plays Cretan lyra, and bouzouki. He works as a paramedic and firefighter.

Episode music: The Anemos Music Project

Meredith Panayotopoulos was introduced to and fell in love with all things Greek dancing and culture in college when she met her husband George. She spent 10+ years dancing, directing and co-general directing in San Jose, California. She was blessed to be invited with her dance group to Florina in the summer of 2015, where her love and passion for passing on the beautiful traditions of Greek dance and customs was deepend immensly. From the start she had an affinity for costumes and all of their beautiful and intricate detail work and has been able to use skills learned from childhood to help build costumes for the groups she has been involved with. She had to take a step back from directing as her family grew and currently she and her husband enjoy incorporating many of the beautiful έθιμα και παράδοσεις they have learned over the past 20 years through the years in how they raise their family.

Bess Stathakis is an Atlanta native with a lifelong passion for Greek dance and culture. She serves as the Director of the Atlanta Greek dance program, instructs as well as dances with the Atlanta adult dance group, and is a member of the management team for the Hellenic Dance Festival. She is deeply committed to preserving and celebrating Hellenic heritage as she desires to continue to honor and pass down these traditions that helped shaped her own life.

Beyond the dance floor, she is a proud wife and soon-to-be mother of two, inspired by her family, faith, and the Greek community that surrounds her.

Episode Music: Kostas Mitsis

We're back, with Phil Voutsakis, speaking about his dance experiences, his favorite regions and traditions. This Philly native also weighs in on the best place to get a cheesesteak, and you may be surprised with his answer.

Phil Voutsakis has been a Greek folk dancer for 20+ years and was a founding member of the St. George Zephyros Seniors folk dance group in 2003, a GOYA aged (7th - 12th Graders) group. Phil was brought back to instruct the group in 2016. Under Phil's instruction, the Zephyros Seniors have taken first at the Metropolis of New Jersey's Folk Dance Festival and at the regional Sights and Sounds competition for the past 3 years. Phil's passion for dance comes from an appreciation for it's integral part of the community and a reverence for traditions. Phil is also a dancer in the Pan-Macedonian Association of Philadelphia's Spirit of Macedonia dance group. His dance-related goals include the creation of a multi-aged dance group, as are commonplace in Greece, in order to keep people dancing as they get to different stages of their lives. His favorite dance is Neizamikos from Naoussa.

The man who needs no introduction, 54Thirty himself, joined me on this week's podcast. We had a good time talking about Greek dance and 900 other things. Enjoy!

Welcome to the Syrtos podcast! Enjoy this episode getting to know Evan and Maria, and the intentions of this podcast. If you're interested in being on the show, please email us at SyrtosPodcast@gmail.com, find us on Instagram @syrtos_podcast, like subscribe and rate us today! 

Lindsey Fostinis Kivetos, from Sacramento California, is a lifelong lover (and student!) of Greek dancing. A native of Anchorage, Alaska, with formative years spent dancing and directing in the small but mighty community of Modesto, she currently is the director of the young adult group, Deos in the Annunciation parish. She has done extensive research in many regions, but her specialty and passion are the traditions, dances, and songs from Roumlouki, Macedonia (present day Alexandreia). As an attendee of over 33 FDF's, Lindsey has been fortunate to participate and in and instruct many award winning groups; most recently Deos as the recipient of the 2020 Division I Sweepstakes award - the realization of a partnership and shared dream of Lindsey and her incredible teacher and role model, Mr. Axilleas Tsiaras. 

Lindsey's goal in teaching is to continue the love and respect she has for our incredible shared culture with future generations and to help create an environment of authentic kefi - something that has been instilled in her from an early age by her incredible teachers. She believes that to dance perfectly is to dance with heart and soul, and she seeks to inspire that in each dancer. 

You can find Lindsey anywhere the zourna plays. :)

Nikos Antonopoulos Greek Dance instructor, director, student and performer, originally from Seattle, WA now finds himself in the San Francisco Bay area.

Over the years has lived between the USA and Greece participating with dance groups, festivals, panigiria, and ethima (local holiday traditions) throughout all of Greece. Having attended seminars in Greece, the USA, and Canada, Niko continues to assist and share these experiences with his students. He is a participant and award winning director at FDF for over 20 years. His involvement in Greek dance continues is rooted in experiences through his travels to Greece and throughout various Greek dance events.

Episode music: Endasi Live, Miami 2020

Jordan Elrod has been dancing since a young age, instructing for the past 20 years, and was the director at St. Mark Greek Orthodox Church in Boca Raton, Florida for ten of those years. He has taught and participated in many workshops across the United States and Greece, as well as organized workshops in South Florida including The Winter Dance Conference in 2005. He served on the board for the Metropolis of Atlanta’s HDF where he has also been a judge for the past 3 years. He has performed with, and played music for multiple award winning groups at the Metropolis of Atlanta’s HDF, the Metropolis of San Francisco’s FDF, and “America’s Greek Dance Competition” as well as MHDF out of Chicago, where he also served on the board. He studied in Rhodes, Greece at the Aegean University and still travels to Greece every year with his wife and family whose roots are in the Serres region.

Episode music: Endasi, Live, Miami 2020

John Peppes was born in Athens, Greece, and came to America at a young age. He was raised in Tarpon Springs, Florida – a community populated largely by individuals of Greek descent, allowing him to be exposed to the Greek culture all throughout his youth. At the age of six, John started dancing with the St. Nicholas church dance group. Years later, this group would eventually become the Levendia Dance Troupe in Tarpon Springs, Florida under the direction of John Lulias.

In the summer of 1983, something clicked and Greek dance quickly became a passion for him. Throughout the 1980s, John was fortunate to participate in workshops taught by instructors with similar passion as his. He credits much of his influence to such people as, Dr. Mary Coros, Paul Ginis, John Lulias, Joe Graziosi, George Mavropoulos and the entire Dora Stratou program as well as Ted Petrides.

John is currently a Board Member and Director of KYKLOS Hellenic Society, a non-profit organization incorporated in the State of Michigan. The group includes participants from twelve Greek communities in the Detroit Metropolitan area. He recently took over the youth dance program at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in Ann Arbor and also hosts a monthly Hellenic Cultural Night for adults to be exposed to the traditions of dance.

His hobbies also include history, traveling and golf. John can be contacted via email a jpeppes214@gmail.com

Rania Samartzis- born in NYC, moved to Athens, Greece until I was 8 yo, then moved to Port Richey, FL and currently living in Palm Harbor,FL. My mom is from Kastoria (Macedonia) and my dad is Athenian (his mom from Smyrna & his dad from Thiva). 
I started dancing when i was in school in Greece as part of the school curriculum, then when we moved to Florida with my family, i joined the local church dance group with my brother. As my brother went into college, the group did not have a college dance group so he ventured out to the next local dance group - in tarpon Springs.. Levendia! I joined him shortly after. I have been a part of Levendia (of the St. Nicholas Dance Ministry) for about 15 years now. This year teach the middle/high school group along with Mike. I’ve taught the High School/College groups for several years and this year I also help with the adult group with Maria Kouskoutis as the main instructor.

Nomikos “Mike” Kambourakis 
Born in Kalymnos, Greece - raised in Tarpon Springs, FL! Greek folklore has been a part of my life since I was a baby. My great grandfather Nikitas Tsimouris played the Tsampouna and would play all the time accompanied by his wife (my great yiayia) Nomiki and his 4 sisters singing at the house. I started dancing with Levendia in the first grade and was hooked since as it “ran through my veins” and ive been dancing since. This year I am teaching the middle/high school group of the St. Nicholas Dance ministry.

Music courtesy of Panayotis League

We are thrilled to kick off season 7 of the Syrtos podcast with Charissa Gianos from Denver, CO! Thank you Charissa for your patience as we navigate a new recording set up for season 7!

Don't miss the Kefi at Mile High Dance Workshop and Glendi, September 20-22, in Denver, CO!

Also, be sure to listen to the entire episode to learn about some of the amazing CDs Charissa has recorded.

Charissa Gianos is the Director of the Denver Dynamis Hellenic competition dance group, and Vice Chair of the Hellenic Dance Academy, a.k.a. HDA, a ministry established at the Assumption of the Theotokos Cathedral in Denver, CO under the guidance of Fr. Jordan Brown. She has been actively dancing in the Denver dance group since she was 10 years old, performing at all their festivals and other city venues, and began instructing younger groups at her church at 17 when their dance instructor moved to California. She's always had a passion for Greek Dance, coming from a very musical family who always sang and danced Greek, even in their home growing up. Throughout her dance career she remained steady in the church's program, taking a hiatus while having two children, and started instructing again when her son began middle school. She taught throughout his middle/high school years, and then continued with her daughter's middle/high school years. Eight years ago she established their competitive dance group, Denver Dynamis Hellenic who has successfully competed at HDF with a group between 17 - 20 dancers of which her two kids are a part, winning Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards! The HDA Committee established a beautiful mission statement, which embodies the ethos of what Greek dance means to our ministry: To Instill Our Greek Orthodox Faith through Prayer, Almsgiving and Worship; To Continue the Tradition of Hellenism from our amazing Greek Heritage in Orthodox Youth and Adults; To Embrace and Value Traditional Greek Folk Dances and Authentic Costumes throughout Greece through Music, Song and Fellowship.

Charissa believes Greek dance brings Kefi to one's life, which in a deeper sense joins us to the rich heritage and beauty of our Motherland Greece. Greek dance is good for the heart and soul, and when hands are entwined together in dance, a bond takes place creating connection between people and producing an amazing richness of joy. 

Zito O Horos!!

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PARAKLESIS to the Pantanassa (Mother of God)

Healer of Cancer 

2023

NEW Cd Release:  “Paraklesis to the Pantanassa, Healer of Cancer”.  This latest release of the Akathist to the Mother of God is for all people to pray for healing of cancer and all diseases.

This Paraklesis Cd is a full Paraklesis Service. The Service is taken from the Greek Service sung in Greek by the monks from the Monastery of Vatopedi. This is the latest of Charissa Gianos’ three Cd’s, having also recorded:

First Cd release:  “Akathist to the Mother of God, Nurturer of Children” in 2009

Second Cd release: “Akathist to the Mother of God, Healer of Cancer” in 2015

About the Chant:

The music is Byzantine Chant sung in English by Fr. Chrysostomos Gilbert, Dean of the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in NYC, and Charissa Gianos.  Charissa Gianos is a parishioner at Assumption of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Denver and has sung on several Cds including each of Fr. Apostolos Hill’s Cds, as well as all five Cds produced by the Denver Choir under the Directorship of Dr. James N. Maniatis, being featured as a soloist. She also recorded with Eikona on their Cd: “Abundant Mercy, The Polyeleos”. Charissa has also written three Orthodox children’s books: “Yes! Christouli Loves Me”, “Yes, The Theotokos Loves Me!”, and “Yes, We celebrate Pascha!” All Cd's are streaming and can be found on several platforms.

 Featured on this Cd are: Katerin...

Michael is a native of Knoxville, TN, a self-taught luthier and a lover of Crete. Join us as we chat about his experience and learn how he got to know and love Crete and its culture! You can find Michael on Instagram @mchambers_00

Episode music: The Anemos Music Project

Join Vaia and Michelle from GAFS to learn a little more about the 2026 βήματα Ελευθερίας event in Astoria, Queens! For more information, and group pricing, including a preferred hotel rate and registration discount visit the GAFS website:

https://www.greekamericanfolkloresociety.org/

Episode music: Kostas Mitsis

Today we sat down with Vikki and Lefteris from Dionysos Hellenic Cultural Society to talk about their group and the upcoming Greece in the Rockies Hellenic & Cultural Dance Conference. www.greeceintherockies.com for more information!

Episode music: The Anemos Music Project

Joe Kaloyanides Graziosi, from the Boston area, has done extensive research on regional dance in Greece and among Greek communities in the U.S. Drawn to Greek music and dance from a young age Joe was an enthusiastic participant in the Greek church dance and New England area community music scene and danced and taught in the Boston area amateur dance groups “Helios Dancers” and “Meraklides” in the latter 1970s after returning from a semester abroad program in Greece in 1975 where he did dance research under the guidance of the noted folklorist Ted Petrides, concentrating at the time on the dance traditions of the Greeks of Anatolia. He has taught throughout the world for community groups and at major folk dance camps, including the Balkan Music and Dance Workshops since 1982, and has taught regularly with Greek performing groups throughout North America. He was a co- founder of New York's Greek American Folklore Society (GAFS) along with its director, Paul Ginis, where he taught throughout the decade of the 80s.

Joe has taught and introduced people to Greek dance in Taiwan, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands and England and has taught regularly in Japan since 1990 where he will be returning this summer of 2022.. He has served as judge and advisor for the west coast Greek Orthodox (San Francisco Metropolis) Folk Dance Festival (FDF) since 1984, as well as judge and advisor for the Atlanta Metropolis’ Hellenic Dance Festival (HDF) for 20 odd years. He is, along with Ahmet Luleci, co-founder of the annual World Music & Dance Camp, now in Iroquois Springs, NY and in its 26 the anniversary year, 2022.

He was co-director and organizer of the 1982 Greek Music Tour sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, The Ethnic Folk Arts Center of NY and the New York State Council for the Arts which brought together major exponents of regional traditional folk music from both Greece and the Greek American communities. In conjunction, he was co-author and co-editor of the accompanying booklet “Greek Music Tour” and consultant for archival recordings of participating musicians. He is also a contributing author to the 2019 book “Greek Music in America” edited by Tina Bucavalas and published by the University Press of Mississippi. During the 1990s and early 2000s Joe was co-organizer and co-host, along with former FDF judge John Lulias, of several tours to Greece, with a concentration on local culture, cuisine, music and dance. Since the onset of covid he has been teaching a weekly on line Greek folk dance class via zoom. Joe produces CD compilations of hard to find regional folk dance music.

His contact information is, email: horoswithjoe@yahoo.com and cell phone: 508-415-4345

Maria and Nikos sat down with Stacie and Stavros, competition and FIT chairs of the Hellenic Dance Festival to chat about HDF2024 and more! For more information please visit www.hellenicdancefestival.com and hdf_weekend on Instagram and Facebook.

https://www.hellenicdancefestival.com

Eleni Koubi is a Greek fashion designer who founded her own brand in 2021.

The philosophy behind the clothes is that the garment a person wears is not only meant to meet their physical needs and to highlight their beauty, but is an expression of their personality and cultural identity. 

The brand is promoting sustainability through garments that are not mass produced but instead a few pieces are launched in each collection that are created ethically and made mostly from natural materials, such as cotton, wool or silk, in order to minimize waste.

Greek folk tradition and the Greek elements are the dominant sources of inspiration for the designs, since the designer believes that Greek culture is an endless source of inspiration and an expression of timeless values. Beauty is the dominant value of the Greek culture and every fashion piece aims to capture this essence. The values of the Greek elements are not only historical but have the ability to shape the aesthetics of people over time through generations.

Instagram: EleniKoubiOfficial

https://elenikoubi.com/

Episode Music Credit: Manolis Kottoros, Live in Santorini, 2021

Maria, a native of the Chicago-land area, sat down with us to share a bit about dance in the 1970s, her experiences as an instructor and her love for dances from Kalymnos.

Diesi  is  a  traditional  Greek  band  based  in  Montreal  and  consists  of  Panagiotis Bakalis  (Clarinet,  Flute, Tsambouna),  Harry  Karavitis  (Violin,  Vocals),  Panagiotis Bournakis (Laouto), and Chris Darsaklis (Percussion).

The  members  of  Diesi  each  developed  an  appreciation  for  traditional  Greek  music from a young age due to their involvement in traditional Greek dance groups. Through performances and seminars, they developed a network of contacts, which includes many renowned figures of the Greek traditional dance and music scenes. Under the guidance of such individuals, Diesi began developing a musical repertoire spanning all of Greece while remaining attentive to the details of the local musical traditions and styles. On their various trips to Greece, Diesi always tries to meet with locals in order to learn and document specific musical repertoire as well as to learn the musical history, intricacy and influence of each specific region.

Over the years, Diesi has had the opportunity to perform at various cultural events, seminars  (Laografia  2011-2019,Koinonia  2015-2019  Sinantisi  Prevezas  2014  and Vimata 2012), dance shows, performances and “glentia” throughout Canada and the United  States,  while  also  collaborating  with  various  artists  from  Greece  in  the process. Diesi has also been featured on local Greek programming and partaken in various international festivals including the Festival des traditions du monde de Sherbrooke (2012) and performances at local festivals in northern Greece and the Peloponnese. Diesi has also collaborated with several traditional dance groups including La Troupe Folklorique Grecque Syrtaki (Montreal), Paradosi Hellenic Dance Company (Toronto), Romiosyni Dance Group (Halifax), Dionysos Dancers (Edmonton), The Odyssey Dance Troupe (Ottawa) and Krasoxori (Oresteiada, Thrace, Greece) to name a few. 

Since 2013, Diesi has also been participating in the annual FDF dance competition organized by the Metropolis of SanFrancisco, playing alongside various dance groups and musicians from the United States, Canada and Greece. 

Contact Information

Facebook: Diesi Montreal

Instagram: diesi_mtl

E-mail: Diesi.Montreal@gmail.com

Phone: (514) 969-8474    [Harry]

Nektarios S. Antoniou, is the new Principal Cantor of the Ascension Cathedral, Oakland, is a member of the American Academy of Composers, Authors and Publishers, writes & produces Music for PBS' "The Life of Loi". He is the Founding & Artistic Director of Schola Cantorum (which recorded the encyclopedic: “A Story of the City: Constantinople-Istanbul” with a Grammy Award winning and nominated cast). He produced, curated the Byzantine Music for the "Augmented Realities Series" for the Behrakis Galleries, in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Arvo Pärt’s haunting O Holy Father Nicholas at the MET Museum (including being featured in 13 Pop Up concerts). He was the convener, conductor and soloist for the UCLA/USC's acclaimed "Byzantine Soundscapes". He taught Byzantine music at Hellenic College for ten years, and Directed the Department of Greek Music and Chant at the Conservatory of Northern Greece/ Conservatoire de Thessalonique. He returned to the US as Principal Cantor and Director of Culture at the Holy Trinity Archdiocesan Cathedral. At Yale he was awarded the University's ISM Director's Prize, conducted, directed and presented cultural programs; the CREDO concert for Jaroslav Pelican and introduced the Summer Iconography Studio. He has authored, edited and translated several books and catalogues including Maestro Dimitri Mitropoulos’ Autograph Notes with Dr. Nicholas Zervas of Harvard.

Polis Ensemble: Hellenic Sound

Polis Ensemble: Calanda (Music Art Lab, 2023)

Bobby Garofalis is the Director of the Hellenic Youth Dancers at Saints Constantine and Helen in Newport News, Virginia. With over 35 years of experience in Greek dance, he began as a dancer in 1990 and rose to become choreographer, director, and now lead administrator — overseeing 4–5 active youth and adult groups, including the award-winning troupe Enosis.

Widely respected for his expertise in the dances of Pontos, Thrace, and the Dodecanese, Bobby’s deepest connection lies with the traditions of Crete — a passion first sparked in 1985 while studying at the Xirouhakis Dance Studio in Chania. Over the past decade, he has worked closely with master instructors to revive lost village dances, including a 2020 suite from Rizinia, Chania featuring Rizitika songs — performed for the first time in the U.S. and honored with the Folk Expression Award at HDF.

From 2019 to 2025, Bobby focused on refining the distinct Syrto style of Chania, training American dancers to perform with authentic precision. That work culminated in Enosis earning first-place honors in the advanced categories at both FDF and HDF in 2023.

Most recently, Bobby has turned his attention to the underrepresented region of Bafra in Pontos, debuting its unique traditions at HDF in 2025. His mission is to give voice to Greeks whose stories fall outside the mainstream — preserving their music, steps, and spirit for a new generation.

Bobby’s latest passion is mentorship: offering guidance and support to Greek dance groups and young directors across the country. Whether through workshops, collaboration, or one-on-one coaching, he’s committed to helping the next wave of leaders carry Hellenic dance forward with skill, integrity, and pride.

With 34 HDF medals — including 20 platinum — and a 2012 Director of the Year award, Bobby continues to see Greek dance as more than performance — it’s a lifelong journey of heritage, identity, and community.

Episode Music: Endasi Live in Miami

We sat down with Dimitris, the founder of the Psyxi Weekender to chat about the weekend's instructors, musicians, resort venue, and COVID-19 precautions.

Tickets for the weekender are on sale now,we hope to see you there!

www.psyxiweekend.com

FB: Psyxi Weekender

IG: Psyxi.AZ

Dimitrios Dallas began his musical career at age 10 when local Chicago legend Vasilis Gaitanos pulled him on stage to play bouzouki during one of his live performances. Since then, Dallas has learned to play the violin, laouto, klarino (clarinet) and tsabouna (Greek island bagpipe), among other instruments.

He plays in several traveling bands throughout the United States, including Endasi, Zephyros Quartet, To Kreitikos Stavrodromi and Ormi Orchestra.

He has also served as the Director of Perifania School of Hellenic Music and Dance since 2007.

Episode Music: Endasi Live, Miami 2020

Ellie Falaris Ganelin is the director of the Kombos Collective, which she founded in 2011 under the name Greek Chamber Music Project (GCMP). She is a classically trained flutist who welcomes other traditions into the fold, including jazz, Latin, Balkan and klezmer music. She is active as a performer of chamber and orchestral music in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is committed to making classical music inviting and accessible for all as an ambassador and performer for the Awesöme Orchestra Collective.

Born and raised in the United States, Ellie is Greek and Croatian-American, whose father hails from Thessaloniki. She’s a proficient speaker and lifelong learner of Modern Greek. Her work with the Kombos Collective has been a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and deepen her Hellenic heritage.

Ellie received her B.A. in Music from the University of Maryland, where she also holds a B.A. in Journalism and a Minor in French. For many years, Ellie had a dual career in nonprofit communications, while simultaneously presenting GCMP concerts.

https://kombosmusic.com/

Episode Music: Kombos Collective, Kanari Mou Glyko, Vardari, Kombos Collective, 2025

Dimitri Carabas is a Composer currently living in Astoria, Queens. He attended The University of Nevada Las Vegas where he earned a Bachelors in Classical Music Composition. There, his writing focused on Post-Romantic and Minimalist styles. With a growing interest in merging Classical writing and Electronics he set his eyes on a Technology degree after his Undergrad. It was in Valencia, Spain where he would earn a Masters in Music Technology, Production, and Innovation from the Berklee College of Music. During this program he focused on Synthesis, Electronic Production, and Video Production.

It is his intention as an artist to tour an ensemble, combining instruments from the Classical tradition with Synthesizers and striking visuals. 

Dimitri is the director and founder of Meraki Folk Dance New York, a successful independent dance group in the New York City area.

@Merakifolkdancenewyork

https://www.dimitricarabas.com/meraki

Mr. Sarantos N. Kaperonis was born and raised in Charlotte, NC, and graduated pharmacy school at South Carolina’s College of Pharmacy. His parents are from Karyes (Arachova), Lakonia, a village in southern Greece.

He has been involved in Greek Folk dance from a very young age where he started dancing for his home parish, Holy Trinity, under the direction of Stacie Peroulas and Marina Photopoulos. They were the first people to introduce him to many important characteristics of Greek folk dance. As a member of their dance group, Sarantos competed at the Metropolis of Atlanta’s Hellenic Dance Festival (HDF) for seven years and later. went on to dance with Charlotte’s Adult group, Stavraetoi, under the direction of Nick Metrakos. Through his experiences gained as a dancer, he began directing within his community in 2008.

In 2011, Sarantos began following his dream of doing first-hand research in Greece. With the help of Greek dance teacher Angelos Nikolaidis and musician Panagiotis Zikidis he has researched the music and dances of many villages in northern Greece, in addition to his village Karyes (Arachova). He has focused most of his time researching the region of Thrace, specifically Evros, since the music, dances, and paradosi of this region are what he has loved from a young age.  

This inspired him to learn Thracian Gaida in the unique Evritiko style under the mentoring of Panagiotis Zikidis of Pentalofos, Evros. He also plays Thracian Lyra which currently only a few musicians play and is in a revival stage.

His goal as a researcher is to portray the different characteristics and style in folklore within villages of the same region, specifically Thrace, because individual villages’ paradosi has been generalized and ultimately lost over the years.

In addition to doing first-hand research, Sarantos has participated in many workshops across the United States, Canada, and Greece to further enhance his knowledge in Greek folklore. He has taught workshops for groups within the Carolinas, the Metropolis of Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, California, Washington, and Canada and as a musician, has played at numerous events in North America and Greece.

Episode music: Endasi Live, Miami 2020

Harry Koutroumanis and Paul Calzada share about the 2025 Gnosis research trip through the Hellenic Performing Arts Foundation to Karpathos and Crete. Learn a bit about their work, and its connection to the Foundation's mission.

For more information visit www.hellenicperformingarts.org or @hellenicperformingarts

Vasiliki Malamatos is the director of Epanastasi Dance Troupe at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Fort Worth, Texas; and the founder & director of Rizes HDF. Epanastasi is a young-adult competitive dance troupe that she started back in January of 2024 and is an official ministry of the St. Demetrios parish in Fort Worth, Texas. Epanastasi will be hosting Rizes HDF on January 25: a parish level event encouraging dance groups within the Denver Metropolis & beyond to attend for a first ever HDF event in the area. 

Vasiliki grew up on the East Coast & has been dancing all of her life. She grew up in New Jersey & attended the Ascension Fairview parish where she competed at their own HDF: “Sights & Sounds”. At the age of 17, she & her family moved to Florida where she completed her final year of GOYA & Dance at the Tarpon Springs Parish with Levendia. She then moved to Boston, MA where she attended Hellenic College Holy Cross from 2016-2020 where she met her husband, Theodore Malamatos. They got married in Florida & relocated to Fort Worth, Texas in February 2022 for his job. 

Vasiliki is first generation Greek & was raised in a home where Greek tradition & culture was always prevalent & important. Vasiliki & her family are Vlachoi (Vlachs) from Thessalia. Her father was born and raised in a Vlachochori (Vlach-speaking village) called “Kalochori”, located just outside of Larisa. Vlachika was her fathers first language, & their village of Kalochori still practices their Vlach customs & traditions (ex: speaking Vlachika, Vlach music & dance at their annual Panigiria, etc). Her mother is from a village in Trikala called “Mavrelli”, located north of Kalambaka. Vasiliki is very proud of her Greek Vlach roots. She visits her villages in Greece as often as she can where she spends her summers with family. While there, attending every Panigiri is always on the list of things to do. She was raised listening to her region's music, so she loves all things Klarino, Epirotika, and Thessalika. 

Vasiliki also runs a private business: DFW Greek Social Club. It is a private Greek event promotional business where she brings various different Greek cultural events to the DFW Metroplex, such as: Greek Nights, Greek Concerts, Greek Comedy Shows, etc. The events are for all ages because Vasiliki feels that Greek culture is for everyone. Greek culture is intergenerational and she wants everyone in the community to be able to come together to bond over their Greek culture. 

Vasiliki is very passionate about preserving Greek culture & tradition in the diaspora. She feels that it is important we equip the next generation with the tools needed to preserve our traditions and culture. If we fail to do so, it is so easy for our culture to slip through the cracks and die off. We need strong events, outlets, and more to keep this younger generation hungry for their culture so that they themselves will grow up and want to pass the torch to the next generation, & so-on.

www.stdemetrios.net

Episode Music: ΞΕΝΙΤΕΜΕΝΟ ΜΟΥ ΠΟΥΛΙ (Πωγώνι) - Ηπειρώτικα τραγούδια