Folk Dance Festival

Location: Ontario Convention Center in Ontario, CA. Feb. 12-15, 2009

For over 30 years, Folk Dance Festival (FDF) has become one of the most vibrant youth ministries in the Greek Orthodox Church. With over 50 parishes across the Western United States, FDF has been the meeting place for thousands of Greek Orthodox Christians.

Below, our interview with board member, Katia Bakas Boudouvas:

DailyFrappe: Tell us about your roots.

Katia Boudouvas: My father was born in Kalamata in a small village called Lada. He grew up on the island of Tinos. My mother was born in Santiago, Chile!

DF: How long have you been involved with FDF?

KB: Since 1996.

DF: What role do you play with the festival?

KB: I am currently serving as the Operations Officer on the Board of Trustees and am active in the 2009 Management Team.

DF: In your words, what is FDF?

KB: FDF is a phenomenal ministry of the San Francisco Metropolis that brings together Greek Orthodox Christians of all ages through our love of Greek folk dance. It is a forum where we join together in friendly competition to share and showcase the history of our people, share in faith and fellowship, and create lifelong friendships and memories!

DF: FDF will be celebrating its 30th anniversary this year- a stunning accomplishment. How did the festival begin?

KB: Actually, this is FDF's 33rd year! The festival was founded in 1976 by the Junior Parish Council of St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church in San Diego, California. Led by dedicated and faithful members of the Metropolis, FDF grew to become the event that it is today. 

DF: Was FDF originally slated to be an event only for the west coast Greek Orthodox Community?

KB: While FDF is ministry of the San Francisco Metropolis, it has always been open to all communities that wish to participate. We have had groups from all over the country and even from South America attend the event.

DF: How many states are usually represented at the Festival?

KB: There are at least 5 states represented each year including California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington and Oregon.

DF: Do you have any estimates of the number of attendees for 2009?

KB: So far, we have almost 2,000 peopled registered and expect over 7,500 visitors througout the weekend.

DF: The festival has become more than a showcase of great dancing troupes from around the country. What other programs, activities are now offered at FDF?

KB: There are so many wonderful aspects to the program. In the past few years we introduced what we call "Diakonia Projects", which are community service projects that each dance group participates in prior to attending FDF. These projects are showcased during FDF weekend and we've seen some amazing examples of outreach and love from the kids to their communities and beyond. There are also several scholarships available to our participants which send dancers and directors to workshops both in Greece and within the United States.  

DF: What are some goals that FDF has for the next 10 years?

KB: As one of the most vibrant ministries of our Metropolis, we plan to grow this program year after year and continue to encourage more participation from across our Metropolis and beyond. We hope to create new strategies to grow our Endowment  Fund and provide more scholarship opportunities for our youth. Another priority we have is to give back to our communites through a number of charitable organizations. Ultimately we would like FDF to be a model ministry that promotes our Orthodox faith, our love of Greek folk dance and the importance of fellowship.

Thanks, Katia.  Here's to another 33 years!

More info at yourfdf.org