DANCE INSTRUCTORS

Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic (Greek: Ελληνική Δημοκρατία), is a mountainous country in southeastern Europe bordering Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey. It consists of mainland with a peninsula, the Peloponnese. Greece also has about 1500 islands, 160 of which are inhabited.
The great differences in landscape (mountains, coastal regions and islands) and differences in existence (livestock, trade and shipping) have resulted in great differences between the regions, the clothing, the musical instruments and the dances. The biggest difference exists between the mainland and the islands.

Dance instructors often come from a specific region and are often specialized in dances from that specific region or even villages. A short description of the dance instructors we work with can be found below.

Dance instructor Alexandros Antoniadis

I'm a traditional dancer originally from Thessaloniki, Greece, but I've been living in Katerini since 1999. It was in Katerini that I discovered my passion for traditional dancing, thanks to my teacher Mixalis Kamanatzis at Xorevtikos Omilos Katerinis. The music, rhythm, costumes, and culture of traditional dancing have always overwhelmed me, and I've been lucky enough to perform in several festivals throughout Greece and Eastern Europe.
One of my most exciting memories was representing Greece in a European Traditional Dancing Festival in Poland. It was an honor to showcase the rich heritage and artistry of Greek traditional dancing to an international audience.
Over the years, I've had the opportunity to experience the different regional styles of traditional dancing throughout Greece, and I have a particular fondness for the Syrtos, Zaramo-Xasapia, and Tsestos.

Dance instructor Efthimia Smixioti

A girl from a village in western Macedonia (Greece) that made her way to the Netherlands for her master's degree in UvA. She started dancing when she was six and has never stopped since. During her adolescence, most of her summers were spent in the paniyiria (Greek festivals) of Florina's villages, where she performed with the dance group of her village. She loves the dances of Thrace, but thanks to her teachers Leonida Stoyianni and Yianni Konstantinou, she learned and loved dances from all over Greece. From March 2023 onwards, she will start teaching in Pigasos, where she aims to share this love with others.
Always curious about new things, she is currently a big Balfolk enthusiast.

Dance instructor Christos Pastras

Born and raised in Athens, Greece, having family origins from Stiri, Viotia, nearby Delphi region. Till the age of 25, I have lived in Greece with an interim year in Finland.
My first dance lessons, among other activities, began at the age of 8 and at my primary school. As a dance student I have participated in various dance seminars, groups and shows all around Greece which were organized by the best dance teachers, in that field. The memory I will always carry with me is my dancing participation at the closing ceremony of Athens 2004 Olympic Games. As a dance teacher, I have had the chance to transmit my knowledge, for 10 years now, to numerous students, in seminars and dance groups, in all three countries I’ve lived in. My main inspiration originates from three persons, my teacher Giorgos Velissaropoulos, my father Thanasis Pastras and my grandfather Christos Pastras. They taught me how to “dance” my thoughts and feelings…