Information: Nikos Savvidis, teacher of Pontian dance.

Nikos Savvidis, a Pontian Greek, is an organizer and instructor at the Greek Folk Dance Seminar (Pontio Macedono Thrako Kritiko Dance Seminar) held at the end of June in Komnina Xanthis, on the Nestos river, between Kavala and Xanthis.

Nikos was born in Chrysoupolis, Kavalas, Greece where his parents settled after leaving Pontos. When he was seven, he became a member of the Pontian perfoming club and participated in performances at festivals in nearby towns.

In 1962, Nikos moved to Athens where he joined Pontian organizations and played in Pontian folklore theatricals, expounding the rich folklore of the Pontian people who had been displaced from their homes in Pontos.

He expanded his knowledge to include dances from all parts of Greece. Dora Stratou invited him to join the National Folklore Ensemble of Greece, and with them he toured Asia, Europe, and Greece.

Nikos moved to the United States in 1974 and was on the staff at the Intersection Folk Dance Center in Los Angeles. After living in California for 40 years, teaching Pontian dances all over the United States, Nikos and his wife Ann moved back to his home town in Chrysoupolis.

He is very active as a dance instructor, performer, and teacher at workshops and institutes in Greece and builds lyras and other instruments in his home-based workshop.

Dances Nikos has taught include Karagouna, Kots, Kotsari, Letsina, Maleviziotikos, Militsa, Moustambeikon, Omal Trapezounteikon, Pentozali, Pontian Hasaposerviko, Sarigouz, Serenitsa, Tik, Trigona, and Zonaradikos.