St. George Festival offered celebration of Greek culture
The annual St. George Trenton Greek Festival delivered another celebration of culture as food, dance, music and conversation delivered two funfilled days.
We could not have felt more welcome Saturday evening when Rick Roscoe and Tom Pappas, members of St. George Greek Orthodox Church located on Klockner Rd., visited our table as girlfriend Laura supported an effort to taste menu items like gyros, souvlaki and salad then raised blood-sugar levels with desserts named baklava and a first-taste of loukoumades, a ball of dough deep-fried then dusted with cinnamon and set in a small layer of honey.
The real treat for the evening came when Regina Theodoropoulos presented a troupe of youth dancers during the outdoor event.
Theodoropoulos has served as Greek folk dance instructor for 17 years, has watched young people move from wallflowers to wonderful movers and shakers.
Theodoropoulos represents a brilliant connector of Greek culture, a thread added to the fabric of rich history.
“This is my home church, where I was born and raised. I actually started learning dance the way these dancers have,” Theodoropoulos said, delving into her first dance steps as a four-year-old.
“Our instructions for youth dance goes all the way up to 18 years old. The dancers who performed (Saturday) are our high school youth group and also our competitive dance group.”
Theodoropoulos (thank goodness for cut and paste) said dance offers instruction about Greek culture and history, plus, builds confidence.
“And it all connects with our religion. Through dancing, the kids learn what it means to be Greek and to carry on their heritage,” Theodoropoulos explained. Approximately 65 youth participate in the dance group.
Theodoropoulos described a recent Friday event in Clifton where more than Greek-American youth attended a state-wide dance party.
The St. George Greek Orthodox dancers performed several numbers including syrtaki, a popular Greek dance made famous by Anthony Quinn in “Zorba The Greek”.
“We call that Zorbas because it’s reminiscent of the movie. It’s one of the most popular and well-performed dances. That’s our signature finale dance,” Theodoropoulos noted.
Roscoe, who served as grill co-chair, added information about the Greek event.
“It’s put on by the Trenton Chapter of AHEPA 72 which stands for American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association, a fraternal organization founded in 1922.
“We host this event each year to raise funds for our philanthropy efforts.”
Roscoe offered the name of current AHEPA Trenton Chapter President Dean Microusticos, again challenging my pronunciation of Greek names and words.
Never has one news reporter repeated the phrase — you better write that for me — more.
Roscoe shared one of many laughs during a magical night with our big, extended Greek family.
Interact on Facebook at AHEPA Trenton Chapter 72. Read more about the interesting history of AHEPA later this week in The Trentonian.