Greeks dance in the best circles

It has been said that "Greeks dance in the best circles." At the Oakland Greek Festival, everyone is Greek and the circles of dancers grow wider and wider as you join someone's hand and follow along. After circling two or three times you will have mastered the steps and made some wonderful acquaintances. 

One central location to see Greek Folk Dance Performances and learn to Greek Dance

Five Ascension teams and one guest dance group will present Greek folk dance performances throughout the three-day Festival at one central locations: the Cathedral Windmill Courtyard. Their costumes are representative of different regions of Greece.

Many of our dancers started dancing at age five and have continued to dance through their college years, perpetuating the learning and teaching of their Greek heritage and culture. The oldest students now direct the youngest groups exemplifying their love of Greek dance. 

The groups practice weekly throughout the year with two main events: The annual Folk Dance & Choral Festival (FDF), where 100 dance groups (over 3,000 dancers) gather from the throughout the U.S. to compete and share their Hellenic culture and Greek Orthodox faith; the second event is Ascension's three-day festival where the following groups perform:

Aionia (Eternity) - Our youngest dance group, these Pre-k thru kindergarteners are just learning how to dance. Their energy and kefi (spirit) will be sure to put a smile on your face. Come cheer them on this weekend as they make their Festival debut!

Anagenisis (New Beginning) – Our up-and-coming dance group, these 1st thru 3rd graders have not had a chance to compete yet but warm our hearts with their enthusiastic dancing. Come watch their powerful performances this weekend!

Titanes (Titans) – Our 4th thru 6th graders symbolize incredible strength and stamina. These dancers did a phenomenal job performing and singing at FDF this year, placing first in their category!  Come catch one of their award winning performances at the Windmill Plaza!

Analypsis (Ascension) - Our 7th-9th grade dancers, and proudly the namesake group of our Cathedral. In 2017, they received the Costume Award for their beautiful new costumes, which were made by seamstresses’ Athena Lagios and Francesca Limnios from our church community. Be sure to catch one of their energetic performances. Opa!

Nea Zoe (New Life) - Our high school group truly loves to dance. These dancers never miss a beat and their kefi is contagious! Don’t miss their crowd pleasing performances this weekend!