The Greek Orthodox Folk Dance & Choral Festival Ministry is dedicated, through Orthodox Christian Fellowship and committed leadership, to promoting, encouraging and perpetuating the Orthodox faith, Greek heritage and culture among individuals, families and communities by expressing it through folk dance, folk art, music and language.

Oli Mazi is the publication of this dynamic ministry to inform its stakeholders of news and updates related to the program and its annual event. Please visit us on the web at: www.yourfdf.org

Faith. Dance. Fellowship.

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GREEK ORTHODOX FOLK DANCE & CHORAL FESTIVAL

FDF returns to the Anaheim, CA for another spectacular eventThis year’s FDF will feature new and exciting changes to enhance your experience

We are so excited to announce our return to Anaheim, CA for the 37th annual Folk Dance Festival. At the Hilton Anaheim we’ll be back under one roof to celebrate our faith and culture. Within walking distance of Disneyland, a food court on the lobby-level and easy access from three major airports, this year’s

venue will prove once again to be convenient and enjoyable for all participants.

We talked to some of last year’s participants to see how excited they were about this year’s location. Mrs. Paraskevi June from Long Beach, a long-time dancer, director, and now parent was thrilled. “I would go to the moon if FDF was to be held there. My heart is filled with joy that we are at the Anaheim Hilton. See you on the dance floor!”

Every year FDF becomes bigger and better! This year we’re excited to showcase several new additions and highlights to the weekend. Keep reading to find out more!

Don’t forget to visit us on the web at www.yourfdf.org to register, book your hotel, or learn more about this amazing ministry!

See you in Anaheim!

Hilton Anaheim: Host Venue, FDF 2013 February 14-17, 2013.

METROPOLIS OF SAN FRANCISCO

NOVEMBER 2012

NEWSLETTER

Important Dates

Mark your calendars for upcoming deadlines November 19Deadline for directors to submit group rosters by email and regular mail.http://yourfdf.org/pdf/FDF_ROSTER_2013_v1.xls

December 17End of early registration. Prices for packages and events will increase after this date.http://yourfdf.org/fdf_2013.html

January 17, 2013On-line registration closes. After this date packages and event tickets may only be purchased at FDF.

Questions about deadlines?For questions related to registration please email: registration@yourfdf.org

For competition please contact: competition@yourfdf.org

Thank you for your patience and understanding as these addresses receive many requests. Your inquiries will be answered as soon as possible!

New format for banquet & awardsLast year’s record number of attendees was fabulous! It also presented

some logistical challenges with the traditional banquet and awards ceremony format. This year to accommodate our quickly growing program we will be adopting a new plan for Sunday night. Dinner will be buffet style and open for participants to eat at the time of their choosing within the given time frame (like other meals). The Award Show will follow shortly after buffet dinner closes.

This new approach to banquet and awards should make the evening more fun and enjoyable for everyone. This new dinner style will allow participants to eat and celebrate with their parishes. Additionally, the awards ceremony will begin earlier in the night to accommodate younger participants. We hope this new format improves your FDF experience!

Saturday night Paniyiri with live musicFDF is such a great experience because it allows those of us in the US to

share in the beauty of authentic Orthodox culture. Throughout Greece, on important religious holidays, villagers gather together to pray, sing, and dance in a mutual celebration of Orthodoxy and Hellenism. Why not bring this same feeling to the FDF weekend?

This year we’re excited to announce Saturday night will be our first ever Paniyiri. An evening to celebrate our faith and culture! We’ll begin the evening with Vespers chanting together. Afterwards we’ll dance the night away to tunes from all over Greece; from the islands to the mountains.

We look forward to dancing with you in the “village” of Anaheim this year!

Social MediaDo you have Facebook, Twitter or Instagram? If so make sure to “like” our page on Facebook: Greek Orthodox Folk Dance & Choral Festival. You can follow us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/YourFDF. Finally check out our cool images on Instagram: http://instagram.com/p/OaNONICQ4t

This year’s banquet and awards ceremony will feature a different format to accommodate increased participation

Advertise in Oli Mazi!

Wide AudienceOli Mazi is distributed to over 3000 people at FDF and is available digitally for years to come. Your business or event will be promoted to people from all over the West Coast.

Easy as 1, 2, 3!1.Choose your ad size: quarter,

half, or full page.2.Email info@yourfdf.org with your

desired ad size and artwork.3.Pat yourself on the back for

supporting FDF!

Advertise Today!

AnnouncementsNew Choral Rules

At this year’s FDF new rules for the Choral competition will be implemented. We have expanded the list of choices for required

choral selections to include a greater diversity of religious hymns and folk songs. Additionally the number of required pieces has been reduced to only one piece. The rest of the 12 minute

performance is left to the discretion of the director. To read the rules in their entirety please visit: www.yourfdf.org/cci.html

If you have never competed in the choral competition why not start now? This is a great way to encourage your existing dance groups to learn their songs and a beautiful way to educate our youth about Orthodox hymnography. If you have any questions please direct them to Mrs. Kathy Meck (competition@yourfdf.org).

FDF 2012 Videos on VimeoLast year FDF made the huge technological leap to provide all videos of the FDF weekend online at no cost to participants. This means videos of performances can

be easily accessed from all over the globe with only a computer and internet connection. In stunning fully high definition these videos showcase the amazing performances from throughout the weekend.

To access these visit http://vimeo.com/ggt2012

This big change to the FDF weekend should make it easier and more cost-effective for FDF-ers to share in the amazing experience of February 2012 all year-round.

Diakonia ProjectsAs our ancestors started coming to America during the 19th century, they arrived with one piece of luggage in one hand and a dream in the other. A dream that came true with faith and hard work. They rolled up their sleeves and

worked hard for their family at home and they worked hard for the Church. They had a true sense of Diakonia!

Diakonia is a service or ministry for Christ and His Church. It literally means to work through dirt and dust and our ancestors did a lot of that! They rolled up their sleeves and got to work, especially for others. When you are serving others, you are serving God’s people and when you are serving God’s people, you are serving Lord Himself.

Diakonia Projects are an excellent way to highlight your dance group’s commitment to serving their church or greater community. When your group does a Diakonia Project submit photos of the project and a short description of the activity to: diakonia@yourfdf.org no later than January 17, 2013.

FDF 2013 Management Team & Board of Directors Samantha Demetriou

Vaso RahimzadehAnysia DumontVoula KoliosAnthony JohnChristine KarambelasGeorge PlumisKatherine DikeakosVasili DikeakosKristina PlumisGeorge MitsopoulosManoli RodarakisJohn ZoumberakisPaul Mantas

Spero MantasYianni MagouliasEleni BeckasTaki Vathis

Board of DirectorsHis Eminence Metropolitan GerasimosFather Gary KyriacouSpiro BeckasKatia Bakas Boudouvas,Michael SyrengelasJohn BoudouvasKathy Loukatos Meck

George DemosChrista BarbasEleni BeckasGeorge NickolsAnne SirotaVickie DemosJohn BuzasFr. Christos KanakisFr. John HondrosFr. Bob FoxPaul GikasLaurie Sahines

Management TeamChristine AlexopoulosAlexandra SchwenkeAlexandra GuirguisEffie KritsianiEvangelia GryparisVen StathopoulosZoe KaplanisAlexandra ScuroDanielle DoumakMaria VorgiasMaro Tsigarida