Save the Date!
Join us in Denver, Colorado, for the Kefi @ Mile High Greek Dance Workshop and Glendi presented by the Metropolis of Denver Hellenic Language and Culture Committee and the National Greek Folk Dance and Cultural Ministry.
Honor Greek culture and heritage and have FUN learning NEW authentic and unique Greek dances from renowned FDF and HDF Instructors and Judges, Dean Advalas and Dr. Christos Papakostas.
Celebrate with your friends at the Glendi featuring a live Greek band!
Dean Avdalas
Dean Avdalas has been a dancer and dance instructor in the Greek community of the Bay Area for over 30 years. His passion and love for Greek culture has led him to develop exemplary skills as a dancer, director, choreographer, and researcher. His main areas of research and interest include Epiros, Sarakatsan villages, and Megalo Monastiri (refugees residing in Neo Monastiri, Domokou, Thessalia).
Dean has presented groundbreaking work with the Albanian border villages of Northern Epiros and the customs of the Dodekaimerou in Neo Monastiri. He has amassed a vast collection of field research and music from all areas of Greece.
He served as judge at the Hellenic Dance Festival in the Metropolis of Atlanta since 2011 and at the Greek Orthodox dance festival FDF in the Metropolis of San Francisco (2013). His greatest source of inspiration and drive for Greek dance excellence and preservation are his mother and father (may their memories be eternal).
Dr. Christos Papakostas
Dr. Christos Papakostas is a Professor in the Department of Primary Education at the University of Ioannina, specializing in Folklore and Greek Traditional Dance. From 2014 to 2021, he served as Assistant Professor on the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Science of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, where he taught Greek Traditional Dance.
He holds a degree in Physical Education and Sports Science with a specialization in Greek Traditional Dance from Democritus University of Thrace and a PhD from the University of Thessaly. Alongside his academic work, he has extensive experience teaching Greek folk dance and traditional percussion in educational and community contexts and with numerous dance groups. Christos has served as a judge at the Metropolis of Atlanta’s Hellenic Dance Festival and the Metropolis of San Francisco’s Folk Dance Festival.
His research focuses on dance anthropology, music, folklore, and cultural identity. Among his publications, he co-edited Ethnochoreographies (with Rena Loutzaki, 2022, Disigma Publications) and Dancing Cultures: Globalization, Tourism and Identity in the Anthropology of Dance (with Nikos Poulakis, 2019).
Schedule
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4:30 pm Welcome/registration check-in
5:30 pm Vegetarian dinner with Greek Music playlist
7:00 pm HDF Forum
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9 am - 10:30 am Dance workshop instruction
10:30 am - 11 am Break/snack
11 am - 12 pm Dance workshop/instruction
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Noon - 12:45 pm Lunch
12:45 pm - 2:45 pm Dance workshop instruction
2:45 pm - 3:00 pm break/snack
3:00 - 4:30 pm Dance workshop instruction
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6:30 pm Dinner and Glendi with live band
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9:30 am Divine Liturgy
11:30 am Coffee Hour Fellowship/ Farewell
Please note that registration does not include lodging. All registrants are responsible for booking their own lodging.
Hotel Options:
Hilton Garden Inn Denver/Cherry Creek
(303) 754-9800
Staybridge Suites and IHG Hotel
(303) 321-5757
DoubleTree by Hilton
(303) 388-5561
Courtyard by Marriott
(303) 757-8797