Dancers from the Odyssey Dance Troupe show off their moves and new costumes at Ethos: Spirit of the People hosted by the Hellenic Community Centre Jan. 17.
A unique celebration of Greek folklore tradition last week marked a growing trend among Ottawa’s Greek community to honour its ancient culture.
Ethos: Spirit of the People was performed at the Hellenic Banquet Centre by the Odyssey Dance Troupe. It featured traditional dancing and music from the regions of Asia Minor, Central Macedonia and Thrace. However, audience members expecting the flashy, choreographed moves portrayed in movies such as Never on Sunday got quite a surprise, says Christos Pantieras, head dancer of the troupe and co-creator of the event.
“Ever since [Never on Sunday], that has been a stereotype of Greeks–that we break plates when we’re happy…and that doesn’t really happen.”
Pantieras says that there is a distinct line between contemporary Greek music and the folklore-style dances performed at Ethos.
“Folklore music is the tradition of our ancestors. A lot of people look at Greek dancing and associate it with very contemporary moves. When it comes to folklore, a lot of the songs tell about daily life in the villages, and there’s no choreography. Everyone is part of the same circle and dances the same moves.”
Ethos’s main draw was its authenticity. Costumes remained true to traditional Greek dress, with some of the outfits imported directly from Greece for the show. However, the performance’s coup de maître was its inclusion of a traditional Greek folklore band, which the troupe flew in from Greece to share its music with Ottawa’s Hellenic community.
The show was split into three sections, each highlighting a different region and culture. The first part featured dancing and music from the town of Erythrea, in Asia Minor. Compared to the other dances, this one bears the most resemblance to contemporary Greek dance. The second culture on display was from Orini, a village in the northern province of Macedonia. The closing part of the show finished with dances from Metaxades, in Thrace.
Greek folkloric traditions remain under the radar of most Canadians. A combination of improvisational dance and oral storytelling, folkloric tradition has been a way for the citizens of Greece to share their triumphs and tragedies amongst themselves. These practices, both celebratory and cathartic, have been a part of Greek tradition for thousands of years. Pantieras hopes that Ethos will help further a growing passion among North American Greeks for celebrating their heritage. Folklore culture is extremely popular in the United States, and its popularity has begun to spread north of the border to Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa.
Maria Koulouris would like to attract more people to folklore culture. As one of the senior members of the Odyssey Dance Troupe and co-creator of Ethos, she admits that many Greeks abandon traditions as they get older.
“You start [dancing] at the age of five, usually because your parents bring you. When people reach their teens, many lose interest, especially the guys– because it’s not exactly perceived as being cool, right? But then you get to a certain age and you appreciate the depth that [folklore] brings.”
Nektarios Kosmidou has certainly developed an appreciation for Greek folklore. He has been a violinist for roughly 20 years and traveled from Greece to perform in Ethos. Despite his delicate grasp of the English language, Kosmidou was able to convey his feelings of the importance of folklore within contemporary Greek culture.
“[To not have tradition] is like building a house without a foundation.”