THE FOLK GROUP OF THE GOCMV

The Folk Group of the Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne & Victoria (GOCMV) is one of the most authentic in Melbourne and performs dances covering all regions of Greece. The GOCMV was established in 1897 and is acknowledged as the oldest Greek organisation and one of the oldest ethnic communities in Australia.

The Greek Community’s core business is to promote and develop Greek culture and education, servicing not only its immigrant constituency, but most importantly the second, third and fourth generation members. The folk group plays a major role in this by presenting traditional songs, dances and traditions from all regions of Greece, as well as organising work-shops, seminars, music concerts and many other functions.

After 110 years of activity and achievement the Community continues to respond to the needs of its members and to contribute to the continuous development of a multicultural Australia.

Our goal is not for the students to “dance” a mirror image of perfectly synchronised steps, but to move freely and be able to express their personality through movement and their interpretation of the music and present the true essence of Greek folk dance.’

In this concert the group will perform dances from Thrace in North Western Greece.   Instruments used: Greek bagpipes (called the gaida), as well as a lute and kaval which is an open ended flute.

The teacher of the group is Nick Papaefthimiou, who is also Artistic Adviser of the Concert.