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Austrians Learn What Opa Means

dancingHubert, Erna, Anelize, Hans and Charlotte, from Graz, Austria, do not dance waltz or polka in their free time, but syrtos and pentozalis, hasaposerviko and other Greek folk dances.

They ‘caught“ the “virus” of Greek folk dances after their vacation in Greece. Hubert Sperk started giving folk dance lessons in Graz in 1995 and finally in 2008 the Graz Dance Group was founded and its members were about 100 Austrians and Greeks living in the country. Hubert, who is the president of the Group, is a gymnast and knows more than 100 folk dances.

“I admire them, they are more Greek than Greeks,” Kostas Rizovalis stated to AMNA about the Austrian lovers of Greek folk dances. Rizovalis is a member of the administrative board of the Dance Group. “They love Greece and some of them have houses. A couple is building a house in Kefallonia, while they speak or learn the Greek language. It is like a “virus,” he added.

The Group members visited Thessaloniki in March, to participate in the charity event “We dance for life,” which was organized by the Dancing Group of Thessaloniki. The two Groups have a close relationship, they exchange visits and the teachers in Thessaloniki organize seminars in Graz.

In November, the members of the Graz Dance Group will dance in the event for the celebration of the 30 years of the Austrian-Greek Society, whose president is Rizovalis. On the occasion of the anniversary, a relevant book will be released, with the support of the Mayor of Graz.

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