Leadership

President

Her lifelong love of dance, and inborn interest in Greek folk culture in particular, have led Boston Lykeion Ellinidon President Irene Savas to expand her knowledge of Greek dance, ethnology, ethnomusicology and costuming by regularly participating in dance seminars and workshops in Greece and in the United States and Canada. These include biennial dance seminars conducted in Greece by the Lykeion ton Ellinidon of Athens. She has studied under Leftheris Drandakis, Giorgos Kotsos, Nancy Harmanta, Lazaros Hatzipanagiotou, Elpida Kalogeropoulou, Niki Niora and Kostas Mitsis of the Lykeion ton Ellinidon of Athens; Giorgos and Eleni Mavropoulos and Roulis and Maria Tzimkas of the Dora Stratou Dance Theater; Nikos Zournadzidis, Keti Frangoudaki, Kyriakos Moisidis, Ioannis Konstantinou, Apostolos Paidios and others of Greece; as well as fellow dance directors and instructors of Greek dance in the United States and Canada: Joe Graziosi, Yvonne Hunt, Dimitrios Tzotzis, John Lulias, Lou Gialedakis and the late Paul Ginis and Mary Vouras.

Irene Savas has chaired Greek dance conferences in Astoria, NY, St. Louis, MO and Chicago, IL. She also served as a co-organizer of several performances in Boston featuring folk musicians and dance groups from Greece, notably the March 2000 and March 2002 Festival of Greek Music and Dance. Irene also was the director and choreographer of the dance performance of the Boston Lykeion Ellinidon that was part of the latter production.

Irene was the organizer of the Boston Greek Dance and Folklore Conference, which took place November 6-8, 1998 as part of Boston 1998 Hellenic Cultural Capital of the Americas, a program of the Council of Hellenes Abroad (SAE), which drew participants from all the United States. At the conference she was honored by being presented the charter letter and official seal from the Lykeion ton Ellinidon to establish the Boston Chapter.

An instructor of Greek dance, Irene has conducted several series of children’s lessons in Worcester, MA, Andover, MA, Marlborough, MA and Somerville, MA and has taught dance at elementary, high school and college levels. She has been a guest instructor at international festivals and folklore conferences. She was instrumental in organizing and conducting dance weekends for the youth of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis at its camp in Contoocook, NH and initiating a program of dance instruction as part of its daily camp schedule.

On November 1, 2003, the Boston Lykeion Ellinidon presented “Gamos: Greek Wedding Celebrations,” a multimedia event showcasing wedding traditions of various mainland regions and islands of Greece through dances, songs, live music, narration and pantomime. Included was an exhibit of related items and photographs. The audience was served specialties particularly prepared for wedding occasions and invited to participate in the dancing at the end of the performance. Irene Savas conceptualized and directed this production. On May 29, 2011, Irene again directed a production of “A Greek Village Wedding” which included the participation of other dance groups along with the Boston Lykeion Ellinidon.

As a member of the committee that presented “Remembering Smyrna” held at the Maliotis Cultural Center on the campus of Hellenic College/Holy Cross Seminary in Brookline MA in September 2005, Irene Savas organized a workshop for the public on traditional dances of Asia Minor. The dance troupe also offered a demonstration of these dances in authentic attire. In 2007, at a similarly themed program, she brought together musicians for a concert of authentic Smyrnaic music and again organized a workshop on dances of this region conducted by the Boston Lykeion Ellinidon. In the fall of 2013, she was on the organizing committee for a third similarly-themed event at the Maliotis Cultural Center and again directed a performance of dances from this area by the Boston Lykeion Ellinidon.

Dance Director

• Michael Savas

Departments

The Boston Lykeion Ellinidon’s six departments focus on key areas of interest for the organization and organize relevant events and activities. Volunteers are always welcome. To learn more, please contact us.

• Traditional Dance
• Traditional Attire and Decorative Arts
• Traditional Music
• Folklore Library
• Greek-American Women as Preservers of Hellenic Folk Culture and Traditions
• Guardianship of the Greek Language