1...2...3...KICK!

“Dance is the hidden language of the soul.” – Martha Graham

I love dance. Everything dance. All kinds of dance. I like ballet,ballroom, line, urban. I like the "dancing-in-front-of-your-mirror" kind of dancing. I like "yay-I-found-cupcakes" dancing. I think dance is such a beautiful expression of music. And everyone expresses it differently.

But my favorite kind of dancing is Greek folk dance. The country my family is from is so rich in dances, it’s amazing. I started learning folk dances when I was young and continue learning to this day. I was in a competing dance group with some of my oldest and best friends. We made some of the best memories practicing for hours together, raising the funds to travel to competitions, and competing together. Our group dissolved a couple years ago, as many of us were getting jobs or leaving for school, but we still all love dancing and continue to learn on our own.

I’ve been very lucky in finding a man who loves folk dancing as well…he knows more than I ever could AND he’s so good at it. Hot! 

Here’s a performance Jordan and his friends put together for a competition in Chicago in 2009:

Love these boys!

This next video was taken in California last month. It’s in the lobby of the hotel that the competition was hosted at. This is the 3am interpretation of this dance. The guy at the end of the video is playing the Greek version of a bagpipe...it's a dead goat...turned inside out...Greeks are LOONEY TOONS. Jordan is the tall stud playing the drum, and I’m the one bouncing around in the black dress with the short hair (and my bra strap showing…HA!) Please ignore the fact that I start dropping-it-like-it’s-hot…that is not part of Greek folk dancing! ;)

I am just always amazed when I go to workshops or competitions around the U.S. and seeall these other Greek-Americans from both big cities and small towns who all love Greek folk dancing just as much as I do. It really brings us all together in a way that nothing else can. We share this dorky thing in common - a love for keeping this part of our culture alive – and it’s so much fun!