8th FESTIVAL OF TRADITIONAL DANCE & MUSIC OF PATMOS

8^th Festival of Traditional Dance & Music of Patmos

6 – 7 – 8 September 2019

Outdoor amphitheater of the Holy Cave of the Apocalypse

Organization: Cultural Center of the Municipality of Patmos

Co-organization:Municipality of Patmos, South Aegean Region

Supported by the Holy Monastery of St. John the Theologian of Patmos

Artistic directors: Maria Michelli & Theologos Michellis

Presentation: Aristides Miaoulis

Event start time: Friday & Saturday 19:30 – Sunday 18:45

Free entrance

The Festival of Traditional Dance & Music of Patmos, after 8 years of consistent presence in the cultural activities of the island, constitutesa constant cultural reference point of the Greek musical-dancing tradition and claims its own special place in the cultural production of the country.

Patmos, the island that has been designated a World Heritage Site by Unesco, with its strong spiritual character and its rich cultural presence, welcomes some of the most beautiful creations of the Greek musical dancing tradition,for the eighth year.

The 8^th Festival of Traditional Dance and Music of Patmos will be heldfrom Friday 6^th Septemberto Sunday 8^th September 2018, at the outdoor amphitheater of the Holy Cave of the Apocalypse, with Free Entrance.

Artistic directors are Maria Michelli and Theologos Michellis.

Patmos will be the meeting point for 180 dancersand 30 musiciansfrom different regions of Greece.

The three-day musical-dancing event, which attracts hundreds of Greek and foreign visitors every year, will host 10 dance groups this year, presenting their special dancing and musical idioms, traditional costumes and customs, which will be accompanied bymusicians of recognized skill and artistic value.

The audience will have the opportunity to watch a musical-dancing journey that starts from Pontus and passes through Propontis, Eastern Rumelia, Florina, Thessaly, Peloponnese and the Aegean islands, composing the mosaic of the Greek cultural musical-dancing tradition.

The festival includes parallel activities in order to provide the participants with a personal experience in the cultural and musical-dancing tradition of Patmos.In this context,a workshop on «The musical-dancing tradition of Patmos»will take place,addressed to the members of the dancing groups that will be hosted on the island, including a presentation about the local cultural identity and the teaching of the local dancing repertoire by Maria Michelli and the contribution of Theologos Michellis about the special characteristics of the musical tradition of Patmos.

The main goals of the Festival are thepromotion of cultural diversity and artistic expression, cultural exchanges and the promotion of the Greek musical-dancing tradition.

In combination withoffering a quality event to the public, the Festival of Traditional Dance and Music of Patmosis one of the island’s top cultural eventsand has gained prominence among the most important domestic festivals of its kind.

Dance groups will take part in the Festival: