One of the highlights of the Pensacola Greek Festival each year is watching the dancers and then joining them on the dance floor.  Two groups of youth dancers perform – the younger group is called Hara which means Joy in Greek. The middle and high school group is called the Glenzethes which means Merry Makers.  They perform three sets on Friday and Sunday and five on Saturday.  Specific times are listed on the festival schedule page. 

The youth of the Annunciation Parish have been performing folk dances for many years. Initially Greek dance lessons were incorporated into the Greek language and culture classes taught to the children by a long-time member of the parish, Mrs. Mitsa Morres, starting in 1964. The formal youth dance program was started in 1984 when the state of Florida provided a grant to promote cultural arts in the state. The first dance group had 16 high school students – some who are now parents and teachers of our current dancers.

The dancers practice weekly for 3 months to prepare for their festival performances. In addition to attending practices and learning the dances, each dancer has stewardship requirements that include attending church services and Sunday School and participating in the youth program and associated service projects.

Each of the girls in the Glenzethes group has two costumes. One is a unique handmade costume that is representative of the region of the Greece that her family is from. The other is a costume from the Cyclades Islands that is a blue velvet jacket and skirt trimmed in gold, with a wide sash and matching headscarf.

The dance instructor for the Glenzethes is a parishioner who is a graduate of this dance program. Elizabeth Varvouris Gilmore is the girls' dance instructor. Liz has  a degree in Culinary Management from PJC and works in her family restaurant, Aegean Breeze. 

The dancers learn 20 different dances and perform four or five dances per set during the festival with the girls alternating costumes between sets. Audience members participate by clapping hands and throwing money at the dancers. The old tradition of breaking dishes on the floor at Greek parties is no longer practiced but audience members often shout “Opa!” and throw money on the floor to show their appreciation of the band and the dancers.

After the dance troupe completes their set, audience members usually rush out to the dance floor to join in the fun. Beginners and experts can dance together, as the basic steps are fairly easy to learn.