DIRECTOR

~Christos Pantieras~

With one year sabbatical, Christos has been dancing for well over 20 years. This is his second tenure as Director of the Odyssey Dance Troupe, having also instructed younger groups in the School of Traditional Dance in Ottawa.  He has attended several provincial conferences in Toronto (Klironomia), has participated in local workshops taught by the Paradosi HDC instructors, and attended lessons at the Dora Stratou Theatre in Athens (2002), and the 6th Greek Seminar hosted by Kyriakos Moisidis (2005).  As an Islander himself (his roots are in Evia), Christos is drawn to the dances of the Aegean Islands, with a particular interest in the North-East Aegean region. Although he enjoys most mainland dances, his affinity is towards the dances of Thessaly, Epiros, and Thrace. 

 A creative individual, Christos holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts (1996) from the University of Ottawa. He is a practicing mixed media/installation artist, and has had solo and group exhibitions in the cities of Ottawa, Gatineau, and Kingston.  He was awarded his second "B" Grant for Emerging Visual Artists from the City of Ottawa in 2003, and an Emerging Artists' Grant from the Ontarian Arts Council in 2005. With a Bachelors of Education (1998), he instructs Visual and Language Arts for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.