Celebrating The Hellenic Dancers and the Island of Crete This year marks two important anniversaries, the first for Greek Australians in Brisbane and the wider Australian Community and the second for Greeks all over the world and those who have to come to love the writings of one of Greece s most famous writers. The Hellenic Dancers were established in 1977 and this year marks their 40th Anniversary whilst 2017 marks the 60th Anniversary of the death of the great Greek writer Nikos Kazantzakis. The Hellenic Dancers The debut performance of the Hellenic Dancers was at a spectacular event at the Greek Club on 9 October 1977. This special evening was the culmination of over one year s hard work in identifying suitable candidates, creating the group s initial repertoire and first set of costumes. It should be noted that the first set of costumes were from various regions and islands of Greece which were made right here in Brisbane by a team of very dedicated seamstresses. Each costume is authentic, replicating the exact specifications of the Benaki Museum of Athens. Over the last 40 years, the Hellenic Dancers have been wonderful Ambassadors within not only the Greek Community but also the wider Australian Community. They not only promote our Hellenic heritage but nurture it through performance and the acquisition of the specific costumes to represent the various areas of Greece. Their repertoire includes dances from the Greek mainland and the islands and is constantly enriched. Each region of the mainland and the islands has its own individual rhythm and costumes with a rich tradition of music and celebration. Featured in this year s Paniyiri Cultural Exhibition is a special display by the Hellenic Dancers to mark their 40th Anniversary, which includes two costumes from their extensive collection.
The Island of Crete The Greek Government has gazetted 2017 as the year of Nikos Kazantzakis, to mark the 60th anniversary of his death in 1957. He is a native of Crete and one of the most important Greek writers of the 20th Century. Two of his bestknown works are Zorba the Greek and The Last Temptation of Christ both of which were made into feature films. The Greek Community will honour his memory through the Paniyiri Cultural Programme with a film about his life, readings from his works, and a presentation by our own Father Dimitri Tsakas entitled Kazantzakis Vision of the Human and the Divine. To mark this important anniversary further we celebrate Kazantzakis birthplace, the island of Crete. The island of Crete is intrinsically connected to Australia through its people and history. The Battle of Crete took place on the 20 of May 1941 and it is fitting that we feature Greece on the anniversary of this most significant historic event for both Australia and Crete. The Germans invaded the island. This was the first airborne military invasion in history. The Greek and Allied Forces fought hard to defend the island but sadly they lost the battle and the Germans were able to take over half the island. In this battle there were many ANZACS who fought bravely. A massive evacuation followed but a lot of soldiers found themselves trapped on the island. The Cretans were determined to protect these brave soldiers and many partisans offered shelter and food to the soldiers and safe passage out of Crete. The Cultural programme this year will touch upon the Battle of Crete and its history. We shall have presentations from family members of soldiers who fought in the Battle of Crete. We shall offer you the opportunity to follow a young man s walk of Remembrance of the Battle of Crete. In addition the RD Milns Antiquities Museum of the University of Queensland will exhibit a number of pieces of Cretan archaeology. There will be a bookstand selling books about Crete, and books written by Cretan authors. There will be a display of Cretan Costumes, a Photographic Exhibition from the Hellenic Photographic Society of Crete and a display of Cretan musical instruments There will also be information on cultural and language programmes available, while musicians will entertain you with Cretan music and songs.
12:00pm to 7:00pm Celebrating The Hellenic Dancers and the Island of Crete 12:00pm to 12:45pm Anna Efstasiadou Introduction to Photographic Exhibition. 12:45pm to 1:05pm Live Music By Socrates Aronis on Bouzouki 1:10pm to 1:30pm Readings in Greek / English from Kazantzakis works 2:00pm to 2:30pm Glenda Hume Saunders Power point presentation Reg Saunder s Cretan Experience Glenda is the daughter of Reg Saunders 3:00pm to 3:30pm Film on Nikos Kazantzakis s Life. 4:00pm to 4:30pm 4:45pm to 5:15pm Short presentation on Cretan Musical Instruments by Spiros Rantos, Violinist and Conductor. Live Music By Socrates Aronis on Bouzouki 5:30pm to 6:00pm Film on the Battle of Crete 6:00pm to 7:00pm Various rolling programmes 7.00pm Exhibition Closes
10:00am to 6:00pm Celebrating The Hellenic Dancers and the Island of Crete 10:00am to 10:30am Background Cretan music 10:30am to 10:50am Live Music with George Bousias on bouzouki 11:00am to 11:30am Father Dimitri Tsakas, Vicar- General for Qld and Dean of St George Greek Orthodox Church Kazantzakis vision of the Human and the Divine 11:30am to 11:50am Film on Nikos Kazantzakis s life. 12:00pm to 12:30pm Readings from Kazantzakis works in Greek and English. 1:00pm to 1:30pm Anna Efstasiadou Introduction to Photographic exhibition. 1:30pm to 2:00pm 2:00pm to 2:30pm 3:00pm to 3:30pm 4:00pm to 4:30pm Live Music with George Bousias on bouzouki Film on the Battle of Crete Dr. Martyn Brown, Hon Researcher UQ, presentation Battle of Crete 1941. Live Music with George Bousias on bouzouki 4:30pm to 5:00pm Readings from Kazantzakis works in Greek and English. 5:00pm to 6:00pm Various rolling programmes 6.00pm Exhibition Closes