2003 Ethnic Dance Festival

Kudos & Photos from the 2003 Ethnic Dance Festival

Excerpt from a review of the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival:

Felciano, Rita. 2003. "Bay Area Report." DanceView. Vol. 20, No. 3. Summer.

"…restraint and high stylization were also found in group dances. The Minoan Dancers _ a community ensemble of some fifty dancers of primarily Greek descent _ may gain applause with the acrobatic leaps of its high-stepping male soloists, but they impressed more with their clean lines and the way the dancers smoothly expanded and contracted space. They looked a ballet corps in which each individual contributes to kaleidoscopically changing group formations."

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Christos Fasarakis & Yiorgos Kokonas with Vasilis & Effie

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Kristen made friends with the Indian dancers

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Ted, Vasilis & Petraki

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Vicky & Marie

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Fourakis family

Text of a congratulatory letter received from World Arts West, July 8, 2003:

Dear Effie and Vasilis,

On behalf of the board and staff of World Arts West, we want to thank you again for giving us a glimpse into the rich world of Greek dance and music. We have watched the troupe grow artistically over the years in your performing history with the Festival. This year's Cretan suite was one of the best in memory. The company performed with skill and ease to the live musical accompaniment that made the whole piece a true pleasure.

Your continued good work at the community level is an excellent example for other companies to follow. We wish you all the best in future endeavors and hope to work with you again in the near future. Please extend our gratitude to all the members of the Minoan Dancers and to your New York based musicians. You helped to make the 25^th anniversary season a real celebration!

Sincerely, Julie Mushet, Executive Director; Lily Kharrazi, Festival Director; Jack Carpenter, Production Manager; Isabel Fine, People Like Me Director; Denise Pate, Director Community Programs, Gigi Jensen, Office Manager

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Fourakis family getting ready

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Christos & Yiorgos

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Yiorgos & Christos loved San Francisco!

Please E-Mail your comments to Vasilis & Effie Fourakis

Web master Pete Gikkas