Syrtos

Diesi  is  a  traditional  Greek  band  based  in  Montreal  and  consists  of  Panagiotis Bakalis  (Clarinet,  Flute, Tsambouna),  Harry  Karavitis  (Violin,  Vocals),  Panagiotis Bournakis (Laouto), and Chris Darsaklis (Percussion).

The  members  of  Diesi  each  developed  an  appreciation  for  traditional  Greek  music from a young age due to their involvement in traditional Greek dance groups. Through performances and seminars, they developed a network of contacts, which includes many renowned figures of the Greek traditional dance and music scenes. Under the guidance of such individuals, Diesi began developing a musical repertoire spanning all of Greece while remaining attentive to the details of the local musical traditions and styles. On their various trips to Greece, Diesi always tries to meet with locals in order to learn and document specific musical repertoire as well as to learn the musical history, intricacy and influence of each specific region.

Over the years, Diesi has had the opportunity to perform at various cultural events, seminars  (Laografia  2011-2019,Koinonia  2015-2019  Sinantisi  Prevezas  2014  and Vimata 2012), dance shows, performances and “glentia” throughout Canada and the United  States,  while  also  collaborating  with  various  artists  from  Greece  in  the process. Diesi has also been featured on local Greek programming and partaken in various international festivals including the Festival des traditions du monde de Sherbrooke (2012) and performances at local festivals in northern Greece and the Peloponnese. Diesi has also collaborated with several traditional dance groups including La Troupe Folklorique Grecque Syrtaki (Montreal), Paradosi Hellenic Dance Company (Toronto), Romiosyni Dance Group (Halifax), Dionysos Dancers (Edmonton), The Odyssey Dance Troupe (Ottawa) and Krasoxori (Oresteiada, Thrace, Greece) to name a few. 

Since 2013, Diesi has also been participating in the annual FDF dance competition organized by the Metropolis of SanFrancisco, playing alongside various dance groups and musicians from the United States, Canada and Greece. 

Contact Information

Facebook: Diesi Montreal

Instagram: diesi_mtl

E-mail: [email protected]

Phone: (514) 969-8474    [Harry]

Paul Calzada was born and raised in Jacksonville, FL before moving to Hollywood, FL at a young age. He recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from University of Florida and is currently pursuing a PhD in Computer Engineering from there as well. He is a "Gruban" (Greek Cuban) American; His father is from Cuba and his mother's parents are from Greece, specifically Kremasti, Rhodes and Agrosikia, Pellas (Pontian roots). He began his dance journey in Hollywood, FL from a young age in elementary through high school under the direction of different instructors: first Anna Karan, then Aleko Sofianos, and finally Jordan Elrod. All of whom taught him various aspects of the Greek folk music and dance tradition. This group in Hollywood, Klironomia, performed at various local and metropolis functions including festivals, fundraisers, and the Hellenic Dance Festival for many years, winning various awards.

In university, he desired to bring the same fervor for Greek dance to his college town in Gainesville, FL by directing the Greek American Student Association dance group with UF. The group labeled the "UF GASA Dancers" performed at various university and local functions. He then founded the Afieroma Greek Dance Program at St. Elizabeth Greek Orthodox church in Gainesville in 2018 to bring the dance community into the church. He is currently director of the college age group and enjoys teaching various dances from all over Greece with great emphasis on the Dodecanese. The group attended its first HDF in 2020, competing and winning awards in the Senior category for its Agios Dimitrios, Karystos, Evia and Monastiraki, Drama performances. Paul greatly enjoys being able to teach authentic and unique content while dancing with his closest friends.

His contact information is below:

Paul Calzada

Email: [email protected]

Peter has been dancing since the age of 6 within various cultural associations in the Greater Montreal area. Since 2001, he has been dancing exclusively with the performing group, La Troupe Folklorique Grecque Syrtaki (Montreal). He began teaching within La Troupe Folklorique Grecque Syrtaki beginning in 2006 with dances from all regions of Greece. As of 2008, he began more extensively researching dances, ethnographic data and music related to our traditions and created a personal audio-visual library which has grown to over 650 seminars, hours of locally recorded documentation of villagers dancing and in excess of 10,000 traditional music albums spanning all musical repertoires of Greece. Over the years, Peter has served as director of the group on numerous occasions for the dance company’s yearly program and on the preparation of special presentations/shows including one tour of northern Greece (2013) and the dance troupe’s participation on the Greek national TV show “Όλοι οι καλοί χωράνε” hosted by Kostas Hardavelas.

During his time in the dance group, he also developed a program for the development of the youth dance groups spanning from ages 5 to 16. He directed the senior dance group of The Dodecanesian Association of Canada “O Colossos” in Montreal from 2006 to 2014, where he focused primarily on dances and traditions of the Dodecanese and other Aegean islands.

Peter has taught dance seminars in Montreal (private and public), Ottawa (The Odyssey Dance Troupe), Winnipeg (Kefi Dancers of Manitoba) and as well as in California (Los Angeles – St. Sophia, Koinonia Seminars, Pasadena – St. Anthony). He continues to offer guidance and resources to other directors within Canada and the US on a consistent basis for various presentations and dance competitions.

In the summer of 2009, regularly attended the practices of the Women’s Lyceum of Athens (Λύκειο των Ελληνίδων Αθηνών). Since 2012, Peter has worked extensively on learning and applying the systematic analysis and teaching of Greek traditional dances as taught within the Physical Education (Traditional dance specialization) program in Greek universities [Τ.Ε.Φ.Α.Α.].

In 2015, Peter was recognized at the 9th Gathering of Friends and Tradition in Preveza, Greece for his contribution in the preservation and continuation of tradition abroad as a dance instructor, musician and organizer of cultural events such as Laografia Hellenic Cultural Conference.

Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Peter has attended a number of online workshops learning from other instructors in Greece and having various exchanges on the state of tradition in its local environment and our role in preservation and teaching others on the same subject matter.

In addition to Seminars-Workshops attended, Peter also sits as a chairperson for the Laografia Hellenic Cultural Conference held biannually in Montreal. In addition to helping organize and coordinating the event, he has headed the selection of instructors and musicians over the last decade, bringing him into contact with many of the most knowledgeable instructors and talented musicians from all throughout Greece.

Panagiotis (Peter) Bournakis

E-mail: [email protected]

Episode music: Diesi

Evan and Maria sit down, in person, for the first time ever to record this episode of Syrtos. It's a little bit motivational, a little therapeutic, and a bit punch happy. Thank you all for your support for Season 1 of the Syrtos podcast!

Dimitri Papadimitriou is a native of Atlanta, GA. His dance and music journey began at the age of five. Under the direction of Eleni Apostolakos-Hopes, his knowledge and love for dance grew like wildfire. He and his sister were some of the first and youngest children in the community to perform with the adult dance group. Through the years, he has attended seminars around the US learning from instructors such as Joe Graziosi, Nikos Zournatzidis, Lazaros Hatzipanayiotou, Christos Papakostas, Kyriako Moissidis and many more. In his early twenties, he took on the role of director of the adult dance group of the Atlanta community and has been teaching since. Under Dimitri’s direction, the group has performed for various events around the Atlanta area and southeast. Similarly, the group has enjoyed continued growth and success by way of several medals at HDF and FDF including the 2007 FDF Division 1 Sweepstakes award in Ontario, California. Codirecting with Sandy Papadopoulos, Troupe Hellas was one of the first groups from the East coast to ever win the award. 

Dimitri was also born with a passion for music. His mother paved the traditional music path by starting him in dance. His father, lead singer and bouzkouki player in the Alpha Omega Sound band, encouraged his growth as a percussionist and enrolled him in lessons with reknowned drummer, Jerry Fields (the Hampton Grease band) when he was 13. Dimitri later joined his father’s band at 17 years old. His traditional dance music path began at age 16 when he bought his first daouli from percussion legend George Gevgelis while visiting in Athens, Greece. Since, he has been self taught and continues to learn and play traditional Greek percussion instruments. In the early 2000s, he met lifelong friends Dimitrios Dallas and John Themelis and formed the music ensemble Endasi. Along with other friends, musicians and collaborators, Endasi still performs today. 

Dimitrios Dallas began his musical career at age 10 when local Chicago legend Vasilis Gaitanos pulled him on stage to play bouzouki during one of his live performances. Since then, Dallas has learned to play the violin, laouto, klarino (clarinet) and tsabouna (Greek island bagpipe), among other instruments.

He plays in several traveling bands throughout the United States, including Endasi, Zephyros Quartet, To Kreitikos Stavrodromi and Ormi Orchestra.

He has also served as the Director of Perifania School of Hellenic Music and Dance since 2007.

Episode Music: Endasi Live, Miami 2020

John grew up listening to Greek, Armenian, Turkish and Arabic music, and was interested in the sounds of the Balkans and Near East. Over the years, he has learned to perform on countless musical instruments from all parts of the Balkan/Near Eastern world. Of all of these instruments, the laouto, violin and tsampouna, have been his main focus, learning to recreate the strumming and playing style of the Cyclades, Dodekanese, Crete and the Mainland of Greece. He has performed throught the USA, Canada and Greece with the likes of Nikos Oikonomidis, Nikos Hatzopoulos, Nikos Sofos, Mavrothis Kontanis and the Maeandros ensemble, Demetri Tashie, Beth Bahia Cohen, Lefteris Bournias, Nikos Kouroupakis (of the renowned Trifono), Chronis Aidonidis and many others. He has collaborated with the members of the Internationally known Greek folk group, Endasi, since 2003 and as of 2018, has formed the Anemos Music Project with fellow laouto player, Vasilis Vassiliadis.

About the Anemos Music Project

The Anemos Music Project was formed out of the desire to play Greek Island music in its many forms, in its traditional style as well as the contemporary "neo-traditional" style, as it currently wildly popular in Greece. The core of this group revolves around the violin and the laouto, however, the beauty of the project is it's ability to adapt and assimilate as needed for any situation, from a bare bones "Nisiotko Takimi", to a Greek Folk orchestra (with the addition of Clarinet and percussion), to a full bouzouki style wedding band, and just about everything in between. The Anemos Project has become increasingly popular in the New York area since its inception and has been invited to perform at many prestigious events internationally.

Episode Music: The Anemos Music Project

Jordan Elrod has been dancing since a young age, instructing for the past 20 years, and was the director at St. Mark Greek Orthodox Church in Boca Raton, Florida for ten of those years. He has taught and participated in many workshops across the United States and Greece, as well as organized workshops in South Florida including The Winter Dance Conference in 2005. He served on the board for the Metropolis of Atlanta’s HDF where he has also been a judge for the past 3 years. He has performed with, and played music for multiple award winning groups at the Metropolis of Atlanta’s HDF, the Metropolis of San Francisco’s FDF, and “America’s Greek Dance Competition” as well as MHDF out of Chicago, where he also served on the board. He studied in Rhodes, Greece at the Aegean University and still travels to Greece every year with his wife and family whose roots are in the Serres region.

Episode music: Endasi, Live, Miami 2020

Mr. Sarantos N. Kaperonis was born and raised in Charlotte, NC, and graduated pharmacy school at South Carolina’s College of Pharmacy. His parents are from Karyes (Arachova), Lakonia, a village in southern Greece.

He has been involved in Greek Folk dance from a very young age where he started dancing for his home parish, Holy Trinity, under the direction of Stacie Peroulas and Marina Photopoulos. They were the first people to introduce him to many important characteristics of Greek folk dance. As a member of their dance group, Sarantos competed at the Metropolis of Atlanta’s Hellenic Dance Festival (HDF) for seven years and later. went on to dance with Charlotte’s Adult group, Stavraetoi, under the direction of Nick Metrakos. Through his experiences gained as a dancer, he began directing within his community in 2008.

In 2011, Sarantos began following his dream of doing first-hand research in Greece. With the help of Greek dance teacher Angelos Nikolaidis and musician Panagiotis Zikidis he has researched the music and dances of many villages in northern Greece, in addition to his village Karyes (Arachova). He has focused most of his time researching the region of Thrace, specifically Evros, since the music, dances, and paradosi of this region are what he has loved from a young age.  

This inspired him to learn Thracian Gaida in the unique Evritiko style under the mentoring of Panagiotis Zikidis of Pentalofos, Evros. He also plays Thracian Lyra which currently only a few musicians play and is in a revival stage.

His goal as a researcher is to portray the different characteristics and style in folklore within villages of the same region, specifically Thrace, because individual villages’ paradosi has been generalized and ultimately lost over the years.

In addition to doing first-hand research, Sarantos has participated in many workshops across the United States, Canada, and Greece to further enhance his knowledge in Greek folklore. He has taught workshops for groups within the Carolinas, the Metropolis of Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, California, Washington, and Canada and as a musician, has played at numerous events in North America and Greece.

Episode music: Endasi Live, Miami 2020

Nikos Antonopoulos Greek Dance instructor, director, student and performer, originally from Seattle, WA now finds himself in the San Francisco Bay area.

Over the years has lived between the USA and Greece participating with dance groups, festivals, panigiria, and ethima (local holiday traditions) throughout all of Greece. Having attended seminars in Greece, the USA, and Canada, Niko continues to assist and share these experiences with his students. He is a participant and award winning director at FDF for over 20 years. His involvement in Greek dance continues is rooted in experiences through his travels to Greece and throughout various Greek dance events.

Episode music: Endasi Live, Miami 2020