Greek Folk Dance Lessons & Workshops

My name is Despina Markos, and I've been Greek dancing most of my life. As a teenager, I danced with the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church youth group in Westfield, NJ, and at 19, I joined the Hellenic Dancers of New Jersey, where I danced for many years. I also taught kids 5 - 18 Greek dancing at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Westfield, NJ, for 17 years and 6 years for a competition in Maryland for the youth at Kimisis Tis Theotokou Greek Orthodox Church in Holmdel, NJ. I currently teach Greek dancing for the youth at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Perth Amboy, NJ.

I was born in Summit, NJ, to parents who were both born in Greece, and Greek was my first language. I've been to Greece over 10 times throughout my life, spending at least 2 years of my life there. While in Greece, I learned many dances from friends and relatives. In addition, I've attended many Greek workshops and keep up with old and modern Greek music, dance styles, and clothing.

Currently, I run Greek culture workshops for different organizations and groups and one-on-one and group Greek folk dance lessons. Below are letters/articles I've received over the years: Summit Folk Dance Group 2001, Article in the Suburban News 2002, Article in the Home News Tribune 2007, Developmental Center 2011, Developmental Center 2012, Peck School 2017, Peck School 2018 and Meadow Lakes 2018.

Whether you (as a group or individual) need to brush up on your Greek dancing moves or learn how to Greek dance for the first time for an upcoming event (wedding, baptism, or other special occasion), I provide private lessons for all the most common Greek dances as well as several village specific ones. I charge $70 for the first hour and $35 thereafter (plus gas and toll expenses from my home in Marlboro, NJ) with a 2-hour minimum for the first lesson. I work with all ages and abilities.

In addition, I offer Greek culture workshops. For these, I bring in several Greek costumes and some Greek music and explain the different aspects of Greek culture, with an emphasis on how Greek culture and dance blend together. Each Greek dance and costume has a meaning behind it, which I go over. I also teach some basic Greek dances to whomever wants to learn. I've run workshops for different schools, clubs, the NJ Developmental Center, the Girl Scouts, and nursing homes. The workshops typically run 2 to 4 hours, and I run them in one big group or several smaller groups. My standard charge is $140 for the first 2 hours and $35 per hour thereafter (plus gas and toll expenses from my home in Marlboro, NJ). If the group is going to be very large or the people attending need extra help, I can bring an assistant with me, for which I charge an additional $35 per hour.

If you have any questions please feel free to call me at (908) 692-5567 or email me at greekdanceteacher@gmail.com. Opa!!

Despina Markos