The 17th IkariaDance Project is now in our hearts and memories...
Arriving in Athens Monday morning, just some hours before going to work, I was thinking of all the beautiful moments shared and all the people who honoured us with their friendship, work and participation.
The list is big, and after all those years, we know well that written lists is not our "priority"...We prefer the personal contact. That's why, with all the nostalgy and sleepless spirit, I have been contacting my friends who make it possible for me to organise this Project and we have been discussing...remembering...laughing....
And late at night, when the body is complaining for more dancing, I play our musics and dance in my mind (or even alone! hi hi!)
A hearful thank you to Christos Theologos for his always touching work with a high feeling of responsibility and respect to the folk culture and to all participants sharing it ; also for mobilising the Etepo association 's creative "forces" and musicians and inspiring them to offer the best of themselves in Ikaria and our Project!
An enormous thank you to the dance teachers for their wonderful work : Nikos Koufakis, Makis Evangelou, Vangelis Tsarouhas, Stefanos Kyriazakos and Vangelis Frantzis. And to Kaiti Koullia for her amazing singing workshop. Thank you Maria Spanou for the Greek language Cafe animation and all invited guests : Abraham Vrachionidi, Valia Papagianni, Vassili Douri, Alexandra Kanellou, Yanni. Thank you Niko Kouvari for the Ikarian cooking workshop and Maria who helped! A special thank you to my teacher Rea Kakaboura who has been helping me discreetly but firmly all those years to realise the ethnological interest of this Project.
Thank you Vassili and Maria and Stelio for your full support, without you this would be impossible. Thank you Krinio, Andrea, Panayoti and Seva for your help as our Etepo orchestra in the singing and percussion workshops of the Project! And thanks to all the Etepo association's friends for joining us! Thank you Abraham for the photos and Artemis for the translation and all your amazing mood... I also want to thank Ioannis Plagiotakis, who although not present in Ikaria, was with us in heart and we were talking often about all ... We shall have him with us next year!
Thank you our friends from Ikaria, from Raches association and Agios Dimitrios association, the friends in the taverns that cooked for us and a special thank you to Dimitris Melis and Ikaria Holidays agency for all the organisational support and the good driving of our good drivers... Thank you to all the owners of the pensions we worked with in Romantza, Kirki, Levante, Galini, Dolichi, Manto... and a special thank you to Dimitris Rigas and the Cavos Bay family for all their support all these 17 years...and our wonderful Marina at the reception. And last but not least our musicians: Dimitris Spanos, Christina, Mimis, Stavros, Nondas, Nikos, Yannis, Giorgos, Asteris, Pavlos, Panayotis....And thanks to Lefteris Poulis (Skatzakas) who is there with us in a different way, we are waiting for you to play again for us!
And a heartful "Eucharisto!" to all our participants who came to Ikaria this year, and especially to the IkariaDance "friends ' club" who come every year for many years now, and help also in the organisation and better decision making! Thank you Martha, Frans, Martine, Annie, Nicola, Valerie, Josep, Howard, Liora, Uzi, Helge, Reidun, Regula, Gunn, Jonathan, Dorit, Elena, Nazan, Annick, Catherine...Thank you Sylvia and Makis for all the help and medical advice. Thank you Sophie for the french translations this year!
And thank you to my husband and sons for all the love shared...
Yes, it is true...as the T-shirt says....
Η τσαμπούνα παίζει ωραία, άμα βρει κρασοπαρέα
βρε κι εμείς σ'αυτόν τον τόπο, εγλεντάμε μ' άλλον τρόπο
The bagpipe plays well when it finds a nice group friends drinking wine
and we, in this place, we have a special way to make our feasts...
I am reading your touching words in my ikarian tablecloth and think of
all of you! Καλή αντάμωση! May we meet again, as we say in Greek...!
Christiana
14.-15.9.2019 : Oslo 
14.-15.9.2019 : Oslo 
