What’s it all about?
Warm the soul with an evening of traditional Greek folk dance and music. Come join us and express your inner ethno with our energetic Greek dancing workshop. Bring some comfortable shoes, loads of enthusiasm and an appetite for fun. If you’ve ever dreamed of dancing like Anthony Quinn in Zorba the Greek, here is your chance to have some firsthand experience in dancing some traditional Greek dances. It’s a fun, active class, so be prepared to get your heart rate up and transform into the dance God or Goddess you’ve often dreamed of!
What will we cover?
We will begin by getting acquainted with the names of some traditional Greek folk dances and explore the traditional costumes that were worn by dancers in various regions of Greece. This will be followed by a warm-up session to some modern Greek pop music and then Effie will guide you through some simple choreography with step by step instructions for each of the dances. You will learn 3 traditional Greek dances. We’ll cover the Hasaposerviko, Koftos and Kalamatianos. Here and here are some more advanced videos of these styles.
Who will be teaching?
Effie Cinanni has been crazy about Greek dance since she was 5 years of age, knee high to a grass hopper and some would argue she hasn’t really grown much taller since then. She has taught over 600 students in various independent secondary schools and Greek cultural schools throughout Melbourne. She has performed Greek dance across Australia in various multicultural festivals and events including the Melbourne Moomba festival and even featured in a Victorian tourism commercial. She loves all types of dance and believes it is an art form that is an expression of the soul. Her 15 minutes of fame came when she had the opportunity to dance with the former Australian Prime Minister, The Hon. BoB Hawke, which she describes as more awesome than a giant souvlaki with extra garlic sauce! Oppaaahhh!