WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – More than 900 kids and young adults from parishes of the Metropolis of Atlanta and the metropolises of New Jersey, Chicago and Denver gathered on Martin Luther King Weekend, Jan. 13-15, for the 15th annual Hellenic Dance Festival.

The event features groups ranging from primary age to advance senior doing 68 performances.

Dancers competed in two divisions. Division I included primary, junior and advanced junior categories. Division II consisted of intermediate.

There was also a spiritual dimension to the weekend that consisted of 20 “Spread the Word” workshops on the following themes:

The Social Media Gospel, led by Fr. Sampson Kasapakis; Communicating with God, by Fr. Constantine Shepherd; Byzantine Chant, by Jimmy Smith; Spreading the Word: The Women of Our Faith, by Alyssa Kyritsis and How to Build a Dance Program, by Jordan Elrod. Metropolitan Alexios was present throughout the three-day event and he officiated at the Hierarchal Divine Liturgy at the Benton Convention Center in downtown Winston-Salem.

One highlight of the event took place at the Sunday evening awards banquet, when Metropolitan Alexios presented an icon to Gerry Clonaris, who founded the HDF, in appreciation for his 14 years as director. The sixteen parishes represented were as follows: Sts. Constantine and Helen, Newport News, Va.; Holy Trinity, Orlando, Fla.; Annunciation Cathedral, Atlanta; Annunciation Church, Winston-Salem, N.C; St. Nicholas, Wilmington, N.C; St. George, Greenville, N.C; Holy Trinity, Charlotte, N.C; St. George, Hollywood, Fla.; St. Demetrios, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Holy Trinity, Raleigh, N.C; Holy Trinity, Charleston, S.C.; St. Paul, Savannah, Ga; St. John the Divine, Jacksonville, Fla; St. George, Knoxville, Tenn; Metropolis of Chicago, Assumption Cathedral, Denver; Holy Trinity, Columbia, S.C.