It’s become ‘the’ Greek event of the year for young Greek Australians students, and judging by the crowds, this year’s NUGAS Greek Ball rivalled all that came before it.
Thousands of young Greek Australians dressed in their best made it to the Victory Room at Etihad Stadium last Sunday for an event bathed in tradition and history. Designed for the Greek Australian students of Victoria, countless ex-students and interstate students still make the pilgrimage for the party event of the year.
You got the feeling you had somehow stepped into a traditional Greek wedding making it into the large function room, and thanks to the live band, Rythmos’ tunes, the theme of the night was easy to hear.
You could see the young crowd singing along to songs they would have probably remembered from countless car rides listening to 3XY radio alongside their parents.
The dance floor filled up quick, and you could see many tables taking it upon themselves to start their own dancing circles when the floor became too squishy. The organisers seemed taken aback, once again announcing “next year we’ll have a bigger dance floor”.
Hundreds of students left their mains on the table and opened with a traditional dance of kalamatiano.
The Ball is a chance for Greek youth groups, dancing groups, cultural clubs and university students to come together, reflect on their traditions and put a modern twist on new ones.
A big hand must be given to the NUGAS organising committee for hosting the event.