Greek Glendi

Greek Orthodox Community and Church of Canberra and District

Master of Ceremonies: Anthea Matis

Barba Yiani musicians will play to those enjoying culinary delights at the Greek Plaka Stalls.

HARA - Musicians

When: Sunday 12 February 2012
Where: Stage 1 | Garema Place
Time: 11:00am - 12:00pm

Hara means Joy in Greek and is a Canberra based Greek band consisting of four women; Angela Binos - keyboard, Bettina Buehnert - vocals & guitar, Casa Dalton - clarinet & percussion and Tina Tsakiris - Doumbek.

From Australian, Greek and German backgrounds, the women bring their diverse musical experience to Hara. Their love for Greek music and interest in the diverse Greek culture is reflected by their repertoire which ranges from folklore and retro pop to Rebetiko, the “Greek blues”.

Official Opening

When: Sunday 12 February 2012
Where: Stage 1 | Garema Place
Time: 12:00pm - 12:25pm

Official Speeches by:

Joy Burch - MLA Minister for Multicultural Affairs
Mr Paul Levantis - GOCC President
His Excellency Mr Alexios Christopoulos - Greek Ambassador of Greece to Australia
Mr Greg Diamond - President of the Board of Directors Hellenic Club of Canberra

The Canberra Hellenic Dancers

When: Sunday 12 February 2012
Where: Stage 1 | Garema Place
Time: 12:25pm - 12:40pm & 12:40pm - 13:40pm

The Canberra Hellenic Dancers are a cultural entity founded over 30 years ago by a small group of dedicated parents who were driven by a simple desire to teach traditional Greek dances to any children who wished to learn. Our longevity is testament not only to our continued determination to follow in our founders’ footsteps, but also our long-term vision to provide an outreach mechanism for sharing our rich heritage. In this way we can clearly state that we are an integral part of the Australian melting pot yet add an interesting twist by showcasing our unique identity.

Today, after several decades of entertaining audiences we are regarded as one of Canberra’s premier cultural bodies. We are a registered entity overseen by a committee and administered by the Hellenic Club. As such, we are entrusted to add variety to such hallmark occasions as the Sydney Hellenic Festival, Floriade, Greek Association Dances, the ‘Fassolada Festival’ in Melbourne, and numerous other local and interstate multicultural events.

Our classes are named after significant ancient Greek deities, segregated according to age and held in line with public school terms. Dancing ranges in complexity from very basic taught to children in kindergarten, to more complex taught to senior students from years 11 and above. Our repertoire includes both traditional and modern dances that hail from both the mainland and island regions of Greece. This allows us to appeal to a diverse range of audience tastes and expectations. 

Additionally, our wide selection of colourful costumes makes the Canberra Hellenic Dancers an impressive and entertaining spectacle and events such as the National Multicultural Festival ‘Greek Glendi’ is the perfect platform for drawing large crowds who can share in the rich Hellenic experience.

Sydney Cypriot Dancers

When: Sunday 12 February 2012
Where: Stage 1 | Garema Place
Time: 1:40pm - 2:10pm

The Cyprus Community of NSW Dance School has been operating for over 20 years, with many children attending classes to keep up our Culture and Heritage. With over 150 students enrolled and 11 dance classes operating on Saturday’s from 1.00pm – 5.00pm, and 1 mid week class for our seniors our school is always buzzing. Students ages vary from 4 years to just under 30 years, regardless the age, they love to dance and perform.

Our Dance School offers a wide variety of ‘styles of dance’ that is Traditional Cypriot, Traditional Greek and Modern Greek dances and Jazz, that are choreographed by the many talented teachers of the school. Our teachers and the dance committee realise that in order to increase the number of students and keep the students happy, you must offer a variety of dances.
The students of this dance school represent the entire Cypriot Community of NSW at many functions throughout the year. Our students have had the opportunity to perform Cypriot and Greek dances at many Folkloric Festivals, including Tourist and Travel Show, Chinese New Year Celebrations, Charitable Functions, Commercial and Private Functions. There has been a trend in performing at Weddings, Engagements, Anniversaries, Christening parties and many more. In 2000, our school was invited to perform at the Opening Ceremony for the Australian Youth Olympics Festival which was held at the Sydney Entertainment Centre.

Our Dance School also supports ‘SEKA’, the community for the Justice for Cyprus. The biggest achievement for the Dance School was to send our first group to Cyprus in 2005. These students danced at the Wine Festival in Limassol and across various festivals in Cyprus. With the strong dedication and support of students and parents we were able to send a second group to Cyprus in 2008 and a third tour is now being organised for 2012.

The dance school provides an opportunity for our children to keep the Cypriot and Greek flame burning in their hearts. The children are not only taught to dance, but develop a sense of pride and are proud of their background. Children at this school develop strong friendships as they grow up together under the umbrella of the Cyprus Community of NSW. Thank you to the students, parents, teachers and the dance committee for their commitment and dedication to ensure a successful dance school.

Let’s keep Culture & Heritage alive through Dance.

The Canberra Hellenic Dancers

When: Sunday 12 February 2012
Where: Stage 1 | Garema Place
Time: 2:10pm - 2:30pm

Cook Off and Waiter Race

When: Sunday 12 February 2012
Where: Stage 1 | Garema Place
Time: 2:30pm - 3:00pm

Hellenic Youth Club presents - Special Guest DJ Nicky Zee

When: Sunday 12 February 2012
Where: Stage 1 | Garema Place
Time: 3:00pm - 4:00pm