Dance Holiday in Greece

Friday July 10th - Sunday July 19th 2009

With Dimitris Triantafyllidis and other Greek teachers, Mandy de Winter, Judy King and Serendipity

We are organising a wonderful dance holiday to Greece in 2009

Course Venue

Panagia Soumela Foundation on the Vermio Mountain (in Kastania near to the city of Veria and one hour from Thessaloniki).

Course Content

We will have the rare opportunity to learn Greek dances directly from expert Greek teachers. To learn dances in their homeland, adds an extra special dimension! There will be approximately 3-4 hours of dancing together every morning. Dimitris will teach dances from West Pontus as well as some Island dances; Helen Spathia will teach women's dances from Macedonia and one other teacher will teach dances from the neighbouring villages so that we can join in with the local people on our outings! Serendipity will also be there to offer the occasional slot of circle dancing to live music. We are also trying to organise a last night party with a local live band.

Accommodation

Accommodation is in shared rooms. The rooms are simple but have their own bathroom. There are a few single rooms available (supplement of €50-euros)

Outings

Included in the cost of the holiday will be a visit to the archaeological site of Vergina to see the famous grave of Philip II (King of ancient Macedonia and father of Alexander the Great) as well as to the Olympic beach of Katerini (Pieria county).

Group Size

The minimum number needed to make this holiday happen is 20 participants and the maximum number is 30. There are a limited number of places for non-dancing partners.

Cost

The cost of the holiday is €720 (euros). This includes your transfer to and from the airport; accommodation; morning dance sessions; outing to Vergina and Katerini; CD and dance notation and a T-shirt! NOT included is: your air fare; the cost of your meals (approx. €15 per day depending on what you eat and probably more if you add alcohol!) or any additional outings you take individually or we spontaneously decide to do as a group. Cost for non-dancing partner: €605 (euros). Other things you'll need to know:

• The closest airport is Thessaloniki.
• The temperature in Greece in July is hot - anything between 28-40 degrees - BUT we are at a height of 1312 metres and so it will be between 8-10 degrees cooler. At night you will need a layer as the temperature drops even lower (mmmmmmm)
• The dance floor is hard (not wooden, so I suggest you dance in shoes not bare feet).
• There are a number of tavernas and hostels in the village where you can buy lunches and suppers (as well as tourist shops selling local crafts).
• There will be occasions where we eat together as a whole group otherwise you make arrangements amongst yourselves to eat in smaller groups.
• We hope to arrange other opportunities to experience festivities at neighbouring villages and to dance with the local people.
• To book your place, please send Judy a non-returnable deposit of €150 (euros).
• You MUST take out holiday insurance for this week. Due to our various financial commitments in running this course, we are unable to offer refunds on your deposit if you have to cancel.

As I'm sure you can appreciate, trying to organize anything in Greece two years ahead is very challenging! I have made the best estimates on price that I can, taking inflation into account but I'm sure that you appreciate that I can't pin down prices exactly. I will do everything in my power to make sure that prices do not increase, but I must reserve the right to charge a supplement if prices do go haywire. All the prices I have been quoted from Greece are in euros. So in order to cope with the fluctuation in exchange rate between the pound and the euro I need to ask you to pay for this holiday in euros. Please contact me for my bank account details.

The keyword for our Greek experience will need to be flexibility! I can assure you that we will do our utmost to provide you with an unforgettable holiday and ten days filled with wonderful experiences.

For booking details, please contact Judy King.