Greek Folk Dance
Youth Greek Dance 2023-2024:
We are excited to announce that the 2023-24 Youth Greek Dance Program has opened registration! The form includes things like pricing, deadlines, calendar info, and acknowledgements. Parents must fill this out on behalf of any child who is under 18 years old. Please read all of the instructions and information carefully, and make sure you hit submit at the end in order to complete the process: https://forms.gle/bqA61QJS6M8EzQSp7
Practices for all groups (except Vrohi) will usually be on Sundays at 12:30pm following Sunday School (summer practices might need slight adjustment). The first practice will be a little different and will be held on Sunday, August 20th at Camp Angelos following the Youth Liturgy (same day as the church picnic). We will also do a parent informational meeting the same day at camp while the kids are in practice. If you have any questions, please email holytrinitydance@gmail.com.
Our first major event will be performing at the Greek Festival, October 6-8. In order to perform at the festival, dancers must be registered, paid and have attended at least 2 practices by Sunday, October 1st.
Here is a mock-up of our program t-shirts. These will be ordered in November after registration closes and then distributed accordingly. Parents registering their child(ren) will have the option to purchase additional shirts during the registration process. If you are not registering for the program and would still like to purchase a shirt for $25, please send an email with the subject line "Greek Dance Shirt Order - <NAME>" and in the body of the email include how many shirts you would like and the size(s) to holytrinitydance@gmail.com.
Additionally, this year after many requests, we will be launching limited adult only dance classes/workshops. There is no action to be taken now, but please stay tuned for separate info on that with its own registration.
We look forward to another successful year of faith, dance and fellowship!
All the best,
Nicole Ossey
Greek Dance Program Director
503-869-8134
Folk Dance & Choral Festival (FDF):
The 46th annual Greek Orthodox Folk Dance & Choral Festival (FDF) took place in Phoenix, Arizona, February 16-19, 2023
The Greek Orthodox Folk Dance & Choral Festival Ministry is dedicated to promoting, encouraging, and perpetuating the Orthodox faith, Greek heritage and culture among individuals, families, and communities, through folk dance, folk art, music, and language. The principal idea is not to get a gold medal but that all of us grow together in spirit and strength, holding high the banner of Orthodoxy and Hellenism.
This year we participated with 45 kids and 3 groups (Spartiates, Meraki and Vrohi) along with the director of the Dance program Nicole Ossey and their 9 instructors: Lena Brice, Vanda Makris, Christina McDonough, Peter Koukoumanos, Katerina Koukoumanos, Michael Koukoumanos, Demitra Mallos, Anthony Tzakis and Sophia Fraser.
Please find below the performance times of Holy Trinity’s groups; all the performances were recorded and you can watch them here https://www.youtube.com/@FDFLIVE.
We are proud of the hard work and efforts of these youth and their Instructors!
Welcome to a new year of Greek folk dancing. We are delighted to have you and/or your child in the dance group program and look forward to an exciting year. Please read the following dance policies and procedures. We hope the terms outlined below will help all of you to understand the dance ministry and meet the expectations.
Mission Statement
Holy Trinity’s Greek Dance program seeks to strengthen and create lifetime bonds between the youth of our community through the treasure of folk dance. Encouraging youth to appreciate aspects of our rich Hellenic culture, our program is tailored to make learning and dance the very best experience for all who participate!
Dance Program
The Greek Folk Dance Program of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Portland, Oregon is an integral part of the ministry of our church. The primary purposes of this ministry are to bring our youth and their parents together in Greek Orthodox Christian fellowship; to help our youth develop strong moral, ethical, and leadership standards; and to promote and perpetuate Greek heritage and culture. Each and every ministry of the church is guided by a set of rules and standards that are intended to help us all live and grow in a standard befitting the ideas of Greek Orthodox Christianity under the guidance of our Proistemenos.
FDF – Faith, Dance, and Fellowship
The Greek Orthodox Folk Dance & Choral Festival takes place in February (President’s weekend). The dance practices post-Greek Festival, in the fall and winter are dedicated to practicing for the two FDF performances. Dancer participation and the associated personal expenses of attending FDF are the responsibility of each dancer and parent. Refer to www.yourfdf.org for additional information on FDF.
FDF Fundraising
Fundraisers are a partnership between the dancers, parents and board members. The purpose is not only to raise money, but to develop fellowship and instill in our dancers a sense of ownership and responsibility by being active participants alongside their parents in raising the funds necessary to attend FDF.
Beyond FDF – Dancer Participation
All dancers and instructors are expected to participate at the Greek Festival (October) and occasional events at Holy Trinity or the community at large, throughout the year. These performances may include Oxi Day, Greek Independence Day, and any dance program fundraiser.
All dancers and instructors are also required to participate in the annual Diakonia project. This Diakonia project promotes the importance of service to the community by encouraging our youth to come together and give back to those in need.
