IkariaDance Project 2013 - photos and memories...

Our 10th IkariaDance Project took place in Armenistis in 23 - 31.8. 2013 and it was a wonderful experience for all people who participated! (see photos: here)
We had the chance to learn dances and their cultural background with Christiana Katsarou (Ikaria & Fourni), Christos Theologos (Asia Minor), Efthimios Evangelou (Samos) and Elli Kazakou (Ipirus and Ionian islands). The 50 people that attended the Workshops came from Greece, Italy, Belgium, France, Germany, U.K, USA, Spain and Israel!

  A wonderful surprise was the participation of Samos dancers of the Dance Group of Mytilinioi of Samos, who performed the Samos dances on Sunday 25.8 in Cavos Bay Hotel with their traditional costumes under the guidance of their teacher and associate of the seminar Makis Evangelou! He was also significantly helped by dancers from the Cultural Association of Chora of Samos "Irini" : special thanks to Filippos Pyrgiotis, for his support throughout the whole Project and also to Konstantina Zournatzi and Vangelitsa Falari.

 Ergastiri Tehnis ke Politismou (www.etepo.gr) and its dancers contributed to its success with their participation in all workshops and their kind support in everything. The workshops of music and songs were warmly animated this year with Vasilis Sklapanis and Stelios Yanoulopoulos in lute and Maria Lambropoulou, Efi Zouroulidou and Nikos Politis  in percussion and singing! Christos Theologos animating the workshop and explaining all about rythms and styles in Asia Minor songs. The Projects' "compania" was enriched by the French violonist Valerie Maindron and Anna Alexopoulou at the oud and Annick Van Steerteghem at the toubeleki as well as Ivo Ruello at the bouzouki and Paola Pierantoni at the baglama!
Alexander Spietzing also kindly offered us a music workshop explaining to participants the construction and interrelation of music instruments like the oud, lute, bouzouki. We thank him a lot!

The visits in the panigiria of Tragostasi and Vrakades, two very beautuful mountain villages of the area of Rahes and dancing to the sounds of Nikos Fakaros band shall stay unforgettable to all of us.

Moreover the dance evenings we organized with some very special musicians were indeed much appreciated by all participants: the compania of Lefteris Poulis , our "Skantzakas", with Alexandros Spietzing, Yannis Loukos and Maria Pandelaki! And a very special evening in Nas with "Perimpaihtes" company and Dimitris Spanos in tsabounofylaka, Stavros Nikolaidis  in lyra, Epaminondas Valsamis  in the guitar, Nikos Kochylas in the violin, Christina Koutsiafti in the percussion and songs and Filippas Karimalis playing the "keratofas", a very old ikarian idiophonic instrument.

During our breaks between the dance lessons we had the wonderful support of Nikos Kouvaris and Annick Van Steerteghem who took care of a special dish so to help participants get energy for the long program of dancing every day (5 hours!) And always under the eye of our photographer Nikos Tsironis, that we also thank a lot!

Our excursion to the Aghios Kyrikos - Therma and Pharos was a day full of wonderful memories: visiting the Folk Museum in Agios Kirikos which was inaugurated last year with a wonderful collection of objects of the traditional life in Ikaria
and many significant historical documents- we had such a warm welcome by Mrs Koula Adamou and Eleni Mammata who explained us all about the collection; visiting old churches of Agios with wonderful templos handmade by Kollivades monks of Mount Athos; visiting the Therma thermal spring some enjoying the hamam and jacouzi and others swimming at the natural hot springs of the beach there; having lunch at Pharos village singing and dancing under the very old tree of the wonderful "plateia" (square); and a wonderful sunset from Theoktisti monastery tasting the wonderful "loukoumades" made by the always kind Mrs Maria who looks after the monastery.

Many people to thank for these wonderful days who helped us with their dancing, their good spirit, their support and their love: Kostas Mousoutzanis, Ada and Zannos Karoutsou, Irini Karoutsou, Filippas Karimalis and Irene Mavrogiorgi, Eleni Tsioli, Valia Papagianni, Irene Tsapaliari, Evgenia Tsandiri and Giorgis Georgopoulos, Dimitris Melis and of course Dimitris Rigas, Despoina and Antigoni, Marina and all the family of Cavos Bay Hotel who support us every year!

Thank you Marcel and Anita Alblas for the photos!