FDF: The premiere Greek
folk dance festival in the US



For over 30 years, West Coast’s Greek Orthodox Folk Dance and Choral Festival (FDF) has become one of the most vibrant youth ministries in the Greek Orthodox Church. With over 65 parishes across the western United States which comprise the Metropolis of San Francisco, FDF has been the meeting place for thousands of Greek Orthodox Christians year after year.

This time around the 34th Annual Festival will be held in the downtown area of San Jose, CA, on January 14-17, 2010 – Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. It’s the first time in many years that FDF has gone to Northern California, having spent the last five years in Los Angeles. The excitement is quickly building as many of the FDF participants and dancers come from the northern part of the state and the festival has already garnered over 1,800 registered participants. The event will take place in a variety of venues including two beautifully restored historic theatres, the Civic Auditorium and the Montgomery Theatre. Workshops will be held at the San Jose Marriott in a number of rooms on both Friday and Saturday during the day while the dancing is going on. Workshops are led by parish priests from around the Metropolis and this year will focus on a host of Orthodox topics including presentations centered on family, tying into the festival’s theme – “Family Takes Center Stage”.

In the evening, after the dancing, the Glendis are where participants continue to show their love for Greek folk dancing and celebrate their culture. As the weekend comes to a close, the festival grand finale ends with the Sunday Awards Banquet and Glendi which will take place in the South Hall building just steps from the Marriott hotel. South Hall is an impressive, airplane-like hangar that will be beautifully set for the more than 2,400 anticipated guests to join in fellowship and accept their awards for the effort and dedication they have put towards their performances.

FDF is one of the most phenomenal ministries of the Metropolis of San Francisco and it is designed to bring together Greek Orthodox Christians of all ages through the love of Greek folk dance and music. It is a forum where youth can come together in friendly competition to share and showcase the history of the Greek people, share in faith and fellowship and create lifelong friendships and memories.

The festival was founded in 1976 by the Junior Parish Council of Saint Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church in San Diego, California. Led by dedicated and faithful members of the Metropolis, FDF grew to become the event that it is today. There are at least 5 states represented each year including California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington and Oregon, over 2,000 registered dancers who participate and over 7,500 visitors throughout the weekend. There is nowhere else in the world where someone can experience this extraordinary display of Greek folk dance. Some of the best dancers and performers have been part of FDF for the last 34 years and it is recognized as the premiere Greek folk dance festival in the United States and arguably the world.

“Keeping our youth connected to their culture and faith are very important to their future involvement in the Greek Orthodox Church. Many of the thousands of youth who have participated in FDF over the past 33 years have remained close to the Church, and now serve their parishes as Parish Council members, Sunday School teachers, youth advisors, and some of our former dancers are now priests in our Metropolis. We are blessed that this event brings together so many Orthodox families and provides them the opportunity to cultivate lasting friendships,” stated His Eminence Metropolitan Gerasimos of San Francisco.

FDF isn’t just Greek folk dancing and costumes. It has a plethora of important aspects like the "Diakonia Projects", which are community service projects that each dance group participates in prior to attending FDF. There are also several scholarships available to participants, which send dancers and directors to workshops both in Greece and within the United States. Faith based workshops are also one of the core tent poles of the event and during the weekend they give participants the opportunity to meet new friends in an intimate, non-competitive setting while learning about the Orthodox faith. One of the festival highlights of the weekend is the Sunday Awards Banquet and Dinner that hosts over 2,400 people and is the place where participants receive their awards and trophies for the hard work and performance they presented throughout the weekend.

Although FDF is one of the largest youth ministries in the United States, the board of directors and FDF organization are constantly enhancing the program and encouraging more participation from across the Metropolis and beyond. Currently, the organization is working on progressive strategies to increase the FDF Endowment Fund, provide more scholarship opportunities, charitable donations, create special program funding, working with top-tier sponsors and developing other important initiatives that will give FDF additional resources to grow stronger in the future.

For more information on the Greek Orthodox Folk Dance and Choral Festival or the FDF 2010 weekend, you may visit the official FDF web site at www.yourfdf.org.

For sponsorship opportunities or to become an official partner, you may send inquiries to info@yourfdf.org.

©2009 NEOCORP MEDIA

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