HOLMDEL — The Hellenic Dancers of New Jersey will present the 2011 Taverna Night dinner-dance on Saturday, Feb. 12, at the Cultural Community Center of Kimisis Tis Theotokou Greek Orthodox Church, 20 Hillcrest Road, Holmdel.
Beginning at 6:30 p.m., attendees will enjoy a full Greek dinner buffet, Greek and popular music provided by DJ Pegasus, and a special performance by the Hellenic Dancers. All proceeds from the event will support HDNJ in preserving the folkdance customs of Greece and perpetuating Greek heritage in America. Funding from the event will also support the dance troupe’s 2011 touring schedule.
For over 39 years, HDNJ has researched, performed and preserved more than 325 dances from throughout mainland Greece, its islands and the Greek diaspora, including Cyprus, and Pontos, Cappadocia and Ikonion (provinces formerly found in present-day Turkey).
Composed of 40 young adults who are first-, second- or third-generation Greek Americans, HDNJ functions as a livinghistory organization, in that the dances learned and presented are still performed in Greece.
The special performance for the 2011 Taverna Night dinner-dance is a “pikilia,” an assortment of dances from all over Greece including Crete, Thrace, Epiros, Kerkyra and Rhodes as well as its diaspora, Cyprus, Pontos and Cappadocia.
Advance reservations are $35 for adults, $25 for students ages 13-23, and $15 for children age 12 and younger. For reservations, contact Cheryl Bontales at 732-796-1006 or [email protected]. Tickets the day of the event will be $5 more. All donations are tax-deductible.
For more information about the Hellenic Dancers of New Jersey, contact Eleni Chakalos, executive director, at 732-229- 3998 or [email protected], or visit www.hellenicdancersofnj.org.