Nick Vosinas has been dancing and instructing with various groups throughout central New Jersey. He is the head GOYA dance instructor at St. Anna, Flemington (since 2013), Head GOYA dance instructor at St. George, Piscataway (since 2016), Artistic Director (since 2019) and Historian (since 2014) of the Hellenic Dancers of NJ.

HDNJ contact info:

hellenicdancersofnj.org

@HDNJ1972 (Instagram)

https://www.facebook.com/HellenicDancersOfNJ

[email protected]

We're back, with Phil Voutsakis, speaking about his dance experiences, his favorite regions and traditions. This Philly native also weighs in on the best place to get a cheesesteak, and you may be surprised with his answer.

Phil Voutsakis has been a Greek folk dancer for 20+ years and was a founding member of the St. George Zephyros Seniors folk dance group in 2003, a GOYA aged (7th - 12th Graders) group. Phil was brought back to instruct the group in 2016. Under Phil's instruction, the Zephyros Seniors have taken first at the Metropolis of New Jersey's Folk Dance Festival and at the regional Sights and Sounds competition for the past 3 years. Phil's passion for dance comes from an appreciation for it's integral part of the community and a reverence for traditions. Phil is also a dancer in the Pan-Macedonian Association of Philadelphia's Spirit of Macedonia dance group. His dance-related goals include the creation of a multi-aged dance group, as are commonplace in Greece, in order to keep people dancing as they get to different stages of their lives. His favorite dance is Neizamikos from Naoussa.

Maria, a native of the Chicago-land area, sat down with us to share a bit about dance in the 1970s, her experiences as an instructor and her love for dances from Kalymnos.

Today we sat down with Beba to learn about how she got involved in Greek dancing, and the culture and traditions on the island of Skyros that she experienced. Interested in being a guest on the podcast, email us at [email protected], follow us on IG at Syrtos_Podcast.

Episode Notes

Skyros

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgcHGviB6Oc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjHmKsT6dtI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTdJ2JU367Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48x07Gqvoto

https://vimeo.com/50189968

https://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/03/travel/on-skyros-an-ancient-rite.html

Sardinia

https://vimeo.com/231721473

https://vimeo.com/159387028

https://www.tonycorocher.com/mamuthones-and-issohadores/

Calabria

https://vimeo.com/424296355

https://vimeo.com/212893081

http://www.madeinsouthitalytoday.com/a-viddhaneddha.php

Books/Articles

https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691028545/dance-and-the-body-politic-in-northern-greece

https://muse.jhu.edu/article/631681

https://www.nytimes.com/1985/04/30/science/women-s-cults-of-antiquity-the-veil-rises.html

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336580788_Authenticity_and_Greek_Traditional_Dance_An_Ethnographic_Approach

https://www.calvertjournal.com/tiles/show/7956/kukeri-pagan-ritual-bulgaria

https://www.messynessychic.com/2016/09/13/the-pagan-wild-men-of-europe/

Welcome to the Syrtos podcast! Enjoy this episode getting to know Evan and Maria, and the intentions of this podcast. If you're interested in being on the show, please email us at [email protected], find us on Instagram @syrtos_podcast, like subscribe and rate us today! 

Welcome to the Syrtos Podcast! Join us for episodes that center around Greek folk dance, culture and history. For more information, or to be a guest on the podcast, please email [email protected].