“UNITED” was the theme of the 35th Annual Folk Dance and Choral Festival for the Metropolis of San Francisco. This past February, thousands of youth and adults gathered in Ontario, California to celebrate our faith and culture through a thrilling display of performances.
Over 4,000 people were in attendance over the weekend including 1,100 registered dancers and singers as part of 105 groups representing 35 parishes. In addition, more than 30 priests from throughout the Metropolis were present during the weekend. Traveling from as far away as Hawaii and North Carolina, these exuberant performers captured the hearts of everyone in attendance with their commitment to excellence, their dedication, perseverance and discipline.
At Thursday evening’s Opening Ceremonies, the groups each paraded across the stage proudly carrying their banners and flags. Once everyone was assembled in the Ontario Convention Center, His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos blessed the opening of FDF with an Agiasmos Service, assisted by over 20 clergy from throughout the Metropolis.
Friday’s schedule began promptly at 8:00 a.m. and was full of semi-final dance competition rounds and the choral competition. For nearly 12 hours, groups were carefully scheduled, sound checks were completed, props were assembled, and costumes from many different regions of Greece were proudly displayed. The evening began with a Paraklesis service led by the newly ordained Father Christos Kanakis. “Greeks Got Talent” made its debut on Friday night, with performers selected prior to FDF through audition tapes. Margarita, a finalist from Greece’s “Fame Story” and California native served as the host for the evening. Judges for the night were Thanos Petrelis, one of Greece’s most famous and award-winning singers, a finalist on “Fame Story” and a popular international performer presenting sold out concerts on his recent tour to the United States, Africa and Australia; Vangelis Giannopoulos – Head of Live and Record Business for The Spicy Effect, representing some of Greece’s most popular performers; and Bessie Stavropoulos – former award-winning dance director from Saint John the Baptist Church in Las Vegas and a dance judge at this year’s FDF. Nine acts graced the stage with tremendous talent including solo vocalists, bands, modern and ballet dancers and musical theater presentations. At the end of the evening, the top three performances were named: First Place – Emily Laliotis from Saints Constantine and Helen Church in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, CA who accompanied herself on guitar performing “Hometown Glory” by Adele; Second Place – Constantine and Chrysanthe Pappas from Saint George Church in Fresno, CA singing a musical theater duet “Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life/Falling in Love with Someone” from Naughty Marietta; and Third Place to Penelope Koulos, a classically trained ballerina who performed a lyrical en pointe dance. Celebrity Judge Thanos Petrelis took to the stage at the end of the evening and gave an impromptu performance which generated tremendous excitement with audience members, young and old.
Saturday’s final competition round was once again a riveting display of enthusiastic performances by dancers wearing intricately decorated costumes which were handcrafted by teams of dedicated seamstresses both in the United States and in Greece. During the day on Saturday, the Metropolis of San Francisco Philoptochos Board met, under the leadership of President Jeannie Ranglas.
This year’s FDF was supported by the American College of Greece – Deree who distributed information on their educational programs during the weekend.
The much-anticipated final round of the Advanced Senior Competition was held on Sunday afternoon with eight of the most accomplished groups performing intricate suites from many varied regions of Greece. Performing to a capacity audience, these groups are extremely creative in their presentations, and their hours of hard work and preparation showed in their professionalism. After a 22 year hiatus, the parish of Saints Constantine and Helen Cathedral in Honolulu, Hawaii was represented through their non-competitive exhibition performance of a Pontian dance suite on Sunday afternoon.
Sunday night’s Awards Banquet was attended by nearly 2,300 people who once again were united in celebration of a very successful FDF weekend. Three special awards were presented at the banquet: the Metropolitan Anthony Humanitarian Award was given to Father James T. Adams, Chancellor of the Metropolis and a devoted priest for over 56 years; the Elios Award was presented to John Gumas for his commitment and dedication to the preservation of Hellenism and the principles of our Orthodox faith; and the Metropolitan Anthony Leadership Award given to FDF Management Team member George Mitsopoulos who has served as the FDF Director of Security for the past several years. Dancers, singers, parents, and friends cheered for groups as awards were announced, and though not everyone took home a medal, there was unity in the celebration for their peers whose accomplishments were honored.
Top honors at the 2011 Folk Dance and Choral Festival were presented to: Division I Sweepstakes Winner – Olympian Dancers, Long Beach, CA; Division II Sweepstakes Winner – Keravnos, Saint Sophia Cathedral, Los Angeles, CA; and Choral Sweepstakes Winner – Fotisi Youth Choir from Saint George Church in Fresno, CA.
Plans are underway for the 2012 Folk Dance and Choral Festival. Under the leadership of Father Gary Kyriacou, Chairman of the FDF Board of Trustees, an announcement will be forthcoming in the next several weeks regarding the final dates and location for the 2012 event. For more information, visit: www.yourfdf.org.
