A talented group of dancers from the island of Kos have qualified and will be representing Greece in a prestigious worldwide annual dance competition final “Dance World Cup”, which will be held in Barcelona, Spain this June.
“Ballerinas and Dreams” is a community dance school, which was established in the year 2000, by Melita Kantarzis, on the island of Kos. The first show had 50 little dancers on stage, however the school has grown and now has over 200 students aged between two and 18 years of age.
Melita has dedicated herself to providing a place for the younger generation on the island to fulfil their dancing dreams and with her determination and dedication, many of her students have gone on to teach dance and study abroad.
There are three dedicated teachers at the school who work non-stop to allow these children to express their creativity in a warm and caring environment, including a former student Michalis who has returned from London to teach at “Ballerinas and Dreams.”
With the students wanting to be challenged, Melita decided to enter them into the annual international dance competition, which Greece has not qualified for since 2001. The students worked tirelessly and sent through six videos and were rated by a panel of international judges.
The team submitted six dances- a ballet solo, Greek traditional solo, two duets and two team dances with 22 dancers in each, with the modern lyrical including two males as the leads.
After waiting for a month, they were told they had qualified for all.
“I am so proud of each dancer in this team. Each one is unique and special and they work together to achieve the very best for themselves and their team. For us to fly the Greek flag is such an honour and one of the school’s proudest achievements. I know when I’m watching them on that stage it will be through tears in my eyes,” says Melita.
The students are extremely excited and have been training long hours for the finals, which are fast approaching.
“I’m over the moon to be going to Spain to represent Greece. I want to make my country proud. It has been hard work in the studio and also financially for my parents but I think it is worth it. And it will be an experience and memory I will never forget,” student Fay Papacharalampous told Greek City Times.
*With many issues facing Kos over the last few years, including the major earthquake, which hit the island last year, the school is struggling for sponsorship and has set up a Go Fund Me page, which will help cover the cost of uniforms, airline tickets and accommodation. If you would like to donate, any amount will help- gogetfunding.com/help-get-us-to-the-world-dance-cup-in-barcelona-spain/
