Cultural Association - Department

The Dance group

Traditional dances from Thassos and Northern Greece — kept alive by young and old alike, week after week.

About the Group

Tradition in Motion

For decades, the dance club has been preserving the dances, songs, and traditional costumes of Theologos. We perform in historical costumes at festivals, weddings, and the village’s summer festival.

We are an open group—children, teens, and adults dance together. No prior experience is necessary; all you need is a love of music and movement.

THE DANCE DEPARTMENT OF THE ASSOCIATION

From its very first years, the Cultural Association of Theologos “Chatzigiorgis” established its Dance Department, which was accompanied by the village's local folk musicians. The goal was to preserve and showcase the rich musical and dance tradition of Theologos and Thassos.

The main burden of organizing and running the Dance Department was taken on by women who came from the then-inactive Ladies' Association “The Progress of the Village”, bringing to the new association

The Ladies' Association was founded on March 27, 1960, with the aim of preserving local tradition, cultivating folk art, and rescuing and promoting the traditional dances and songs of Theologos.

The association's first significant public appearance took place at the Thessaloniki International Fair, followed by participation in the Dora Stratou Traditional Dance Festival at the Piraeus Theatre. There the group distinguished itself, winning the First Prize for Traditional Costume and the Second Prize for Dance — honors that highlighted the authenticity of Theologos's cultural heritage.

Particularly significant was the group's appearance on the Greek National Radio Foundation (E.I.R.), where, under the musical direction of the great researcher of Greek tradition Simon Karas, the traditional songs of Thassos were recorded for the first time, thus preserving a precious piece of our cultural heritage. From this historic group, two figures stood out for their decisive contribution to the creation and preservation of the Dance Department of the “Chatzigiorgis” Association: sisters Urania and Poli (Polyxeni) Tziata.

Urania Tziata, an educator by profession, was the first teacher of the Dance Department and, for about five years, passed on to the village's young people a love and respect for local tradition. She was succeeded by her sister, the beloved Poli (Polyxeni) Tziata, who served this work with devotion, consistency, and selflessness for more than forty years, leaving an indelible mark on the cultural life of Theologos.

Over the more than fifty years of the Association's operation, entire generations, mainly young people of the village, passed through the Dance Department. One could say that almost every family in Theologos had, at some point, a representative among the ranks of the dance group. Its members took part in numerous cultural events, both on Thassos and throughout the rest of Greece, proudly showcasing the cultural identity of their homeland..

Today the Dance Department continues its activity without interruption, and as part of its collaborative and outward-looking approach, it takes part in dance seminars, such as the one held on March 27–28, 2026, at the festival of the cultural associations of Nea Ionia Volou.

Over the last three years, the association's Dance Department has been especially active, with Mrs. Panagiotou Efstratia as dance instructor; weekly rehearsals are held, and it operates two sections — one for children and one for adults — with total participation exceeding 40 members.

This uninterrupted presence stands as living proof that the tradition of Theologos is not merely preserved as a memory of the past, but continues to be creatively passed down from generation to generation, constituting a valuable legacy for the future.