The Folkloric Group ‘Tzanidakis’ from Crete will tour Sydney and Melbourne in November 2024 as part of the Arkadi Festival, commemorating the 158th anniversary of the Holocaust of the Arkadi Monastery.
The event also marks the centenary celebrations of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, with the blessings of Archbishop Makarios.
The tour, organised by the Pancretan Association of Melbourne and the Cretan Association of Sydney & New South Wales, features the first Australian performances by renowned Cretan musicians Konstantinos Kakoudakis, Mihalis Petsakis, and Stelios Stamatogiannakis.
They will perform at the 65th Anniversary Dinner Dance of the Cretan Association of New South Wales on November 9 and a Dinner Dance hosted by the Pancretan Association of Melbourne on November 16 at the Cretan Village.
President and Dance Director of ‘Tzanidakis’, Christos Tzanidakis, will lead a 12-person group including dance members such as Ioakeim Lagoudakis and Vasiliki Perakaki.
The group, celebrating its 10th anniversary, aims to promote Cretan culture through dance, music, and traditional costumes.
In addition to performances, the tour includes dance seminars and tutorials, with details to be announced.
The visit is historically significant as it marks only the fourth time a folkloric group of this nature has toured Australia.
‘Tzanidakis’ has a long-standing relationship with Australian Cretans, having previously sent dance teachers to Melbourne for seminars and hosted cultural events for Cretan youth in Rethymno.
The tour is supported by the Region of Crete and various businesses and families within the Greek-Australian community.
For more information, contact Aggie Mihelakis, President of the Pancretan Association of Melbourne, at 0439 324 445, or Emmanuel Vitetzakis, President of the Cretan Association of Sydney & New South Wales, at 0433 386 777.
