Dancing, live entertainment a big part of Oakmont Greek Food Festival return
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Dancing is a major part of Michelle Kotsagrelos’ life.
The Bethel Park resident has instructed many a soul in the traditional steps from the mainland and islands of Greece for more than 30 years.
“It is so much a part of our lives,” said Kotsagrelos, assistant director of the Grecian Odyssey Dancers of East Pittsburgh. “Whenever anyone actually meets me, within five minutes they know I Greek dance. It is so much a part of who I am. … It’s part of my culture. I was raised with it since I was a child. It keeps me connected to my heritage with my grandparents. They were born in Greece.”
Her late grandfather, George Kotsagrelos, is from Icaria; her late grandmother, Emorfia, is from Kalamata; and other relatives are from Lemnos.
The Odyssey dancers had not performed since February 2020 due to the pandemic.
“It was hard,” Kotsagrelos said. “It was very difficult. … I would put on Greek music at home and just dance around by myself. Greek dancing is very communal, so you need people.”
Kotsagrelos, 51, is second in command just under director Mary Doreza, 81, of Churchill.
Both were overjoyed when they got the call to return to the Oakmont Greek Food Festival at the Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church at 12 Washington Ave.
The festival was June 25-27. It was held in drive-thru format last year as a result of the pandemic.
“We were really honored to be invited to come back,” Doreza said. “We’ve been here for about 30 years. For us, this is a second home. We’re very happy to have dancers from all over, and certainly many from this particular parish. We dance all year-round so that we can be prepared. We make sure we all have costumes that fit and feel that practice is important. We try to give them a great variety of dances from Greece so that we can represent the whole country rather than just one area.”
The group does about 25 shows in a normal year at various venues in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.
About 18 dancers performed 16 different dances each night in Oakmont. They were dressed in traditional garb from the 1800s.
“We are first and foremost friends,” Kotsagrelos said. “The group goes from age 15 to 60-some. It’s a cross-generational group. In the Greek culture, you’re one big happy family. Even if they’re not blood relatives, they’re family.”
Dances performed includes the Soutsta, Kalamatiano, Tsamiko, Baidoushka and Epirtotiko.
Junior Grecian Star Dancers, a children’s group from the Oakmont church, also returned to the dance floor.
They performed the Kalamatiano, the national dance of Greece.
New Kensington resident and Dormition parishioner Zoe Thompson watched as her daughters, Micah, 7, and Evi, 5, brought delight to the crowd.
“It’s a lot of fun,” she said. “I actually wore some of the costumes that Evi wore today when I was around her age. It’s cool to see the tradition being passed down to their generation. Both my girls look forward to the food festival each year seeing everyone and dancing. It’s cool to be immersed into the culture.
“We just enjoy it every year. I’m so happy that we’re back to what we have known for so long. We did the drive-thru, and I wondered if we were going to bring the festival-festival back for good. I’m so glad that we did because it’s important for the community.”
Thompson, a former Odyssey dancer, said the festival has been a bonding experience and believes her girls will continue dancing at the next level when they get older.
The band Filirakia also came back to the festival after the one-year hiatus.
Festival foods
Volunteers prepared, cooked and packaged hundreds upon hundreds of pounds of food throughout the three days.
Parishioner Nancy Ioannou was one of the volunteers who worked with the pastries and other dishes. She has been involved in the fundraising effort for at least 2o years and runs the church bookstore when not participating in the festival.
“We don’t have to wear masks and it’s more free,” Ioannou said. “We can greet and see people, where last year we were inside packaging and just (doing) delivery. It’s been a big change, very positive.”
The menu also changed from last year. Volunteers were able to bring back honey balls and moussaka — layers of ground beef, potatoes and eggplant with bechamel sauce. Both were cut as part of the shift to drive-thru.
They also offered signature dinners such as chicken Alexis, lamb shanks, pork souvlaki and gyros.
A chocolate lovers pastry pack was added this year. People ordered from one line under a tent instead of having to go to different places for different items. Only outdoor seating was available and people paid via credit or debit card.
Event co-chair Andy Gavrilos said the committee will evaluate how things went and may keep some of the adjustments in place for future festivals.
“That’s a January problem,” Gavrilos said about future planning. “The community came out and really supported us well. We’re really fortunate that the Oakmont/Verona community supports us as graciously as they do. They were very pleased with the setup. They liked the idea you can get in one line and get your food and your gyros. A lot of people commented on that. We brought the honey balls back and they did very, very well.
“People were ready to get out. We noticed some people got their food and left. We didn’t see quite the crowds late at night that we sometimes see hanging around the bar, but that’s OK. We’re happy that they came here to eat and took advantage of a chance to learn a bit about the Greek heritage.
The church is in the process of converting a boat hanger into a new banquet hall. It was used for outdoor seating with about 500 or so folks able to dine while socially distanced.
“With the building here in the back, the open seating, we’ve got some options and some things to think about,” Gavrilos said. “We try to balance what makes our life easier and what makes our patrons’ lives easier. I think having everything in one area is easier for them. It might be a little more work for us, but we’re trying to balance that.
“Most of (the volunteers) are very open minded. The younger generations are a little more willing to come outside and work. The older generations, we kept them inside and away from the crowd. There’s enough to do both in and out. There’s a spot for everyone that was willing to work.”
The money raised at the festival goes toward church programs, facility improvements and philanthropic efforts.
More information is available at dormitionpgh.org.