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The Olympian Greek Dance Troupe In Greece
Local Dance Troupe Director Goes to Greece for Lifetime Opportunity
Nicholas Callas, director of the Olympian Greek Dance Troupe, was recently asked to return to Greece this summer for a second time in order to participate in a unique program sponsored by the Greek government. During the summer of 1996, Callas spent five weeks in Greece along with 39 other instructors from 16 different countries learning traditional Greek folk dancing and music. The program was sponsored by the General Secretariat of Greeks Abroad as part of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Greece. The purpose for hosting the retreat was to bring Greek people from all over the world and teach them the many aspects of Greek folk dancing. Local professional instructors, historians, and musicians were all invited to share their expertise in order to create an in-depth, multi-faceted seminar. The goal of the program was for all the participants to return to their home countries and be able to better spread the Greek culture within their communities via their own dance troupes. In addition, the Greek government was interested in providing the all-expense paid retreat as a way of honoring people of Greek descent world-wide who have dedicated so much of their time to promote Greek dance and culture outside of Greece. The application process was a competitive one. The Greek Consulate’s Office of Chicago, being familiar with the Olympian Greek Dance Troupe, contacted Callas in the spring of 1996 and asked him if he would be interested in participating in the retreat. “Of course I was interested,” explains Callas. “How could I not be interested in the opportunity to travel to Greece to learn dances from the places where they all originated?” Meanwhile, other consulate offices all over the world were conducting similar searches for qualified instructors. After meeting with Greek officials in Chicago, Callas’ resume, along with the resumes of all the other applicants worldwide, were forwarded to Greece. Several weeks later, once the Greek government had made its final decisions, they informed Callas that he had been accepted and was one of only two people from the entire United States chosen to attend the retreat. The other US applicant chosen was a young Greek-American woman from New York City. “I was shocked,” states Callas. “I couldn’t believe that out of everyone who had applied I was chosen. I felt honored.” The entire international group included people from Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chili, Denmark England, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, United States, Uruguay. Once in Greece the group traveled from Athens to Larissa and then on to Alexandroupolis, which are areas in Thessaloniki and Macedonia. During the retreat they danced four hours every day and another four hours every evening. Additional sessions were held throughout the retreat to teach dance, music, costume history, geography of Greece, songs and singing, and performance and instructional techniques. Several field trips were taken to various museums and cultural centers to further supplement the experience. The dance training itself consisted of lessons from five professional instructors, each from a different region of Greece and each teaching dances specific to his own region. The five main regions represented were Macedonia, Thrace, Pontos, the islands; and Epiros. In addition, each instructor traveled to the retreat complete with his own band. Three of the instructors had previously danced with the world-renowned Dora Stratou Theatre. In all, the group was taught 70 dances. “Everything about the trip was beautiful,” Callas explains. “The countryside, the people, the instructors, everything. I can’t believe that we learned 70 dances, though! It didn’t feel like any work at all because we were having so much fun.” The climax of the entire trip came on the last evening of the seminar when the group hosted a performance of 35 dances, seven from each of the five regions. In attendance at the performance were various Greek dignitaries, clergy, and local villagers. Each dancer was provided with five different costumes to wear for the evening, one from each region. When asked what his favorite part of the whole trip was, Callas responded, “It was one evening after we had eaten dinner and a group of us were sitting on the beach. We were sharing stories of life in our home countries. I found it amazing that in all we represented 16 different countries, 16 different parts of the world, yet we were all drawn together by our one common thread – our Greek heritage and our love for Greek dancing. I still can’t get over how phenomenal that was. I made a lot of friends over the five weeks we were there. I still keep in touch with a lot of them.” The General Secretariat of Greece has begun organizing the seminar for the upcoming summer, and Callas has already received an invitation to return. “From what I understand they will be teaching all new dances from all new regions,” Callas explains. “I don’t have very many details yet as to what the agenda is for this year.” Callas plans on teaching his Chicago troupe members many of the dances he learned and they will be performing them this summer at various church festivals and civic events throughout the Chicago area and abroad. “The troupe and I are very anxious for our summer schedule to begin. We’re going to be doing a lot of new and exciting performances this year,” says Callas. Anyone interested in the Olympian Greek Dance Troupe’s performance schedule is encouraged to look for announcements in The Greek Star or call Nicholas Callas at (847) 828-4863 with any comments or questions. The troupe actively recruits new members throughout the year and anyone interested in becoming a member is also encouraged to call.
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