Greek Dance: children learning to dance

Links to Other Sites

The Dora Stratou Greek Dances Theatre

As well as the Summer folk dance performances for which it is famous, the Theatre also runs courses and seminars and organizes congresses. It also publishes and sells books, videos, CDs, etc., and makes replica costumes for Greek dance groups. Its offices are in the Plaka in Athens. Its website is an essential starting point for anyone interested in Greek dance, with links to the International Dance Council and the International Organisation of Folk Art.

The International Dance Council (CID)

The CID is the official umbrella organization for all forms of dance in all countries of the world. It is a non-profit non-governmental organization founded in 1973 within the UNESCO headquarters. It is a worldwide forum bringing together international, national and local organizations as well as individuals active in dance. It represents the art of dance in general and advises the UNESCO, national and local government agencies, international organizations and institutions.
Its website contains a useful Directory of people concerned with dance throughout the world.

The International Organisation of Folk Art (Greek Section)

The Greek Section of the International Organization of Folk Art is an independent non-profit cultural association. It was established in 1987 and is based in Athens-Plaka, within the building of the Greek Dances Theater "Dora Stratou".
It publishes a bi-monthly magazine, "Tradition and Art" (mostly in Greek), and also has a stock of videos and other publications.

Hellenic Dance Information Page

Thomas Christy's introductory page to his informative website on Greek dance, with plenty of good links.

Charlie Kyriacou's comprehensive Greek Folk Dance Resource Manual (Word document)

A rich treasury of resource material, with many references, and videos for sale.

Dimitris B. Kofterós

Dimitris B. Kofterós plays the santouri (hammered dulcimer) for the Dora Stratou Theatre. He comes from Boros, in Lesvos, and his website has much valuable information about the traditional music of Mytilini. He has written a book (in English and Greek) about the Greek Santouri, published by the International Organisation of Folk Art (Greek Section). The book, which describes the traditional music of Lesvos, is accompanied by a CD of many of the tunes.

The University of the Aegean, Lesvos

Some interesting information about Lesvos from the University Culture Lab, with a section containing music for downloading (MP3).

IERA Music in Gera and Mytilini

Though the texts of these are mainly in Greek, there are some interesting photographs, and music (midi files) for downloading, which should not be too difficult to find.

WebDANCE

This is the website (mostly in English) of an ambitious computer project to record and teach folkdance. Among its academic partners are the University of the Aegean and the University of Cyprus. The "Applications" page contains downloads (for those with computers able to use them) of videos of the Mytilini Karsilamas and Syrtos, and an excellent demonstration lesson module about the Karsilamas.