Estia steps it out in style

TRADITIONAL Greek dancing is a way for Yiannis Nikitaras to showcase the culture his parents and grandparents brought to Australia many years ago.

And to do so in front of a large crowd at yesterday’s Estia Greek Festival was a privilege for the youngster.

The festival, held on Federal St, commemorated 25 years celebrating the culture, heritage and tradition of the Tasmanian Greek community.

The wet and windy conditions didn’t dampen Hobart’s annual dose of Mediterranean culture, with about 8000 people turning out to get a taste of Greek food and drink, music, costumes, arts and crafts.

One of the big highlights was the Hellenic Dancers and one of the most popular dances, of course, was the Zorba. Yiannis, 10,0, was one of five juniorr dancers taking part yesterdayrday and said he had been doing so since 2012.

“We get to present the country where my parents and grandparents came from, plus we get free drinks,” he said.

Event organiser Alanah Duggan said that the crowd was down a bit on last year due to the wind aand rain, but that didndidn’t dampen the spirits of thothose who attended. “Weather considering, it didn’t matter to the crowds that much,” she said. Ms Duggan said there would be a few alterations next year but the “skeleton” of the festival would remain.