On Saturday 17 September, the Greek Lyceum of South Australia held its major fundraising event for the year and the highlight on the organisation’s social calendar − the annual dinner dance.
The Greek Lyceum, which in 2013 celebrated 20 years of service to the community, is an incorporated, non-profit school of Greek dance and culture, whose principal role is to foster these cultural elements in South Australian children and adults. It is a non-political, non-religious organisation and its council is made up of a dedicated team of ex-students, parents and teachers.
“Our mission is to present and perpetuate the rich history and traditions of the songs, dances, music and costumes of Greece to the greater public,” says Alexandra Archontis, one of the teachers and secretary of the Lyceum, in an interview with Neos Kosmos.
This year’s dance was attended by 180 guests including current students and their families, friends, ex-students and committee members. All students of the school were given the chance to perform together and also in their separate classes, allowing not only parents and friends to see what they have been learning, but also the students among themselves.
“Having everyone perform together allows bonding to happen between different classes and age groups and fuels the strong community spirit and family ethos that the Greek Lyceum prides itself on,” explains Archontis, who’s also an old scholar of the Lyceum.
Since its inception in 1993, the school’s artistic director Vasilis Mouzakitis, together with the school council, the teaching staff and his students, focused on carrying out its mission to educate both Greek and non-Greek communities about the richness of Hellenic folk culture and heritage.
“It is important for us to always present our work with the ethics and professionalism inherited from our ancestors and it makes us incredibly proud to watch our students perform with such passion, discipline and ethos.
“It really is a collective effort of students, their families and the teaching staff to spread our Greek cultural heritage to Greek and non-Greek communities through a number (three to four per month) of qualitative performances,” says Archontis.
At present, the school has approximately 60 students, ranging from four to 45 years old, who attend staged performances such as dance workshops, seminars, lectures, costume and folk art exhibits in South Australia and interstate.
The students learn both traditional and contemporary dances from all regions of Greece, Cyprus and its diaspora, including Pontos, Macedonia and Asia Minor.
“Through dance and music we discover our history and stories of our ancestors, therefore our students not only learn the dances and their names, but they explore the story behind each dance and its origin, the lifestyle in that particular region and the ways all of the above have shaped the character of the dance.
“The ‘Rembetiko Era’ was a poignant time in Greece’s and Asia Minor’s history, and thus contemporary music and dance from this era is also an essential part of the curriculum.”
The school has two main teachers − Marie Arvanitakis and Alexandra Archontis (nee Nikias). Marie is a qualified school teacher and has been teaching Greek dance for many years. Alexandra was initially a student of Marie and Vasilis and through their teaching, joined them after participating in all the classes at the Lyceum and travelling to Greece to attend workshops in Athens at the Dora Stratou Theatre and the Momogeroi Folk Dancers.
The Greek Lyceum has in its possession an array of more than 100 traditional costumes from various regions of Greece. Contemporary outfits are also worn, depending on the theme of the performance.
“Wearing them is not only a privilege but pride and joy for each of our students, as is the positive feedback we receive from parents and grandparents telling us how proud they feel to see their children dressed in traditional Greek costumes, maintaining their heritage and holding on to the traditions of their ancestors,” concludes Archontoulis.
Evidently, when second and third generation Greeks have both the confidence and courage to command the stage, they invariably evoke happy childhood memories to their parents and grandparents.
It’s right at that moment that strong intergenerational emotional connections of pride and cultural awareness are gently reinforced through the power of Greek music.