November-December Events at the Greek Embassy

The Greek Embassy is proud to present a varied selection of events to close out the month of November and welcome the month of December:

An Evening of Greek Dancing on November 29 at the Embassy of Greece, from 7:30pm-9:30pm; Join us for an evening of Greek dancing with the DYNAMI Greek Dance troupe. The event will feature a performance of traditional dances from all over Greece, followed by group lessons, so that you too can learn to dance Greek!

Odysseas Elytis: 100th Anniversary Celebration:

A) December 1 6:30-8:30pm at the Embassy of Greece: The Hellenic Foundation for Culture presents an exhibition, videos, and a lecture by Professor Peter Bien, who will talk about Elytis' life and work. Elytis' books will be showcased by the Library of Congress and other collections.

B) December 5 6:30-8:30pm at Georgetown University's Copley Formal Lounge: The Modern Greek Department of Georgetown University will present a lecture, poetry readings, and live singing of Elytis' poems set to music.

C) January 12 at the Library of Congress - Stay tuned for more details!

Panorama of Greek Cinema on December 7 at 8:00pm at the Avalon Theater; The Embassy of Greece and the Greek Film Centre present the much-acclaimed comedy The Riders of Pylos (Comedy, 2011, 35mm, color, 98', Dolby Digital), directed and screen-written by Nikos Kaloyeropoulos.

Greek Olive Oil's Medicinal Properties and Tasting on December 8 from 6:30pm-8:30pm at the Greek Embassy; Dr. Gary Beauchamp, Director of the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, PA, will discuss his latest research results, explaining in compelling lay language olive oil's anti-inflammatory effects. The lecture will be followed by a delicious olive oil tasting!

Ancient Greek Theater at 7:00pm at the Greek Embassy; Scena Theater presents a staged reading of Homer's classic The Iliad.

Ancient Greek Medicine in the Twenty First Century

On Thursday, November 10, from 6:30pm-8:3pm the Embassy of Greece will proudly present its next installment in the series "Health, Nutrition, and Fitness: From Ancient to Modern Times", a presentation by Alain Toulwaide titled "Ancient Greek Medicine in the Twenty First Century". Dr. Toulwaide is the Scientific Director of the Institute for the Preservation of Medical Traditions and a Research Associate at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution.

Ancient Greek manuscripts have brought into the 21st century the knowledge, science, and wisdom of ancient Greek physicians and healers, who were able to use with great efficacy the therapeutic properties of natural substances. Nowadays, this body of knowledge is still unique source of information for medical research and a healthy living. Dr. Toulwaide will present highlights from the results of his long lasting research and his prestigious collection of ancient medical manuscripts located at the Smithsonian Institution.

This is sure to be an informative and interesting evening, so please RSVP to rsvpculture@greekembassy.org in order to reserve your spot!

Greek Films Highlighted in Upcoming EU Showcase

Recently, the Washington Post lauded the two Greek films featured in the 24th annual AFI European Union Film Showcase, Attenberg and Wasted Youth. These two films, touted by Ann Hornada as the "highlights at this year's showcase", bring the best of Greek modern cinema to Washington, D.C.

Attenberg, directed and produced by Athina Rachel Tsangari, tells the story of a young woman's encounters with death and love as she splits her time between her dying father and her endearing friend Bella. This film has received much critical acclaim in Greece and abroad and is Greece's 2011 Oscar selection. Directed and produced by Argyris Dimitropoulos, Wasted Youth chronicles the parallel stories of a father and son who do not see eye to eye. Both films will be presented in Greek with English subtitles.

The showings for Attenberg will be on Sunday November 6 at 9:20pm and Tuesday November 8 at 9:20pm. The showings for Wasted Youth will take place on Friday November 11 at 7:00pm and Sunday November 13 at 7:45pm.

For information regarding tickets and showings, please visit: http://www.afi.com/silver/new/nowplaying/EUshowcase/.

To read the Washington Post's article, please visit: http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/eu-film-showcase-at-afi-silver-balance-of-power-is-temporarily-tipped/2011/11/03/gIQANLEKnM_story.html

Flavors of Greece on the Travel Channel

The Travel Channel's Flavors of... series is introducing six new episodes featuring the delicious and diverse cuisine of Greece. Charlie Ottley, who hosts the program, has traveled to countries all over the world, including Spain, Peru, Scotland, and Mexico, to present viewers with the best of each country's culinary specialties. In this fascinating series, he visits six different regions of Greece, exploring their sights and sampling native delicacies.

The first episode takes place in Crete, where Ottley visits an organic farm south of Chania and discovers the secrets of making olive oil in Kritsa. In the second episode, Ottley learns how Ouzo and the famous masticha from Chios are produced on the Dodecanesian islands. The subsequent episodes follow Ottley to Athens, the Cyclades, Kalymnos, Central Greece, Northern Greece, and Western Greece.

During his travels, Ottley experiences not only Greece's delicious foods, but also its exciting activities. Highlights of his trip include sailing around the Ionian islands and celebrating Carnival on the island of Patras. So if you are interested in Greek cuisine, travel, or adventure, you will not want to miss this series!

For more information on showtimes, please visit: http://www.travelchannel.co.uk/series-info.asp?series=Flavours+of+Greece&ID=1504#.Tq8I8FavMwQ

PANORAMA OF GREEK CINEMA: The Cherry Orchard

The Embassy of Greece in collaboration with the Greek Film Center and support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece present the next installment of the Greek film series Panorama of Greek Cinema. This month's film will be The Cherry Orchard on Wednesday Nov. 2 at 8:00pm at the Avalon Theater.

This Greek-French-Cypriot co-production directed and produced by Michael Cacoyannis is actually an adaptation of Anton Chekhov's final drama. Set in turn of the century Russia, it chronicles the story of a woman who returns to her family's estate after five years away. She struggles to reestablish her place in the home and society amidst a climate of political and social upheaval, but also with the painful memories of her son's death. The star-studded international cast includes Charlotte Rampling, Alan Bates, and Frances de la Tour.

For tickets and more information, please visit: http://boxoffice.printtixusa.com/avalon/advance?i=11358.

The Avalon Theater is located at 5612 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington DC 20015.

Greek Art Inspired by Economic Hardship

A recent article in the New York Times examined the Greek economic situation from a fascinating new perspective: its ability to inspire and influence artists. In the realms of visual arts, cinema, and theater, artists all over Greece are producing compelling works that hare heavily influenced by the current economic conditions. Street art (known by some of its critics as graffiti) decorates the streets of Athens with politically charged images and witticisms. In the Metaxourgio neighborhood of Athens, art galleries such as the Kunsthalle Athena displays work by young artists such as Stefania Strouza and Lydia Dambassina. Strouza's clever works consist of framed excerpts from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream: "My soul consents not to give sovereignty," and "Before the time seemed Athens as a paradise to me," are two of her framed statements. Lydia Dambassina's most well-known work in the Kunstalle Athena shows a Greek flag folded on a desk next to a copy of the Greek newspaper Ta Nea from March 2010 with the headline "All Ways Are Closed."

Last year's Oscar-nominated film Dogtooth and this year's Oscar-nominee Attenberg present a perspective on Greek society that is emotionless, flat and, at times, grotesque. A recent production of Antigone by the Knossos Theater Company in Athens combined Sophocle's ancient version of the play with Brecht's 1948 adaptation to present a protagonist who stands up to political injustice.

It is thus fascinating to see how even in times of economic difficulty, Greek people can rise and flourish in other ways - in this case, the arts.

To read the full article in the NYTimes, please visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/15/arts/in-athens-art-blossoms-amid-debt-crisis.html?pagewanted=2&%2359;scp=1&%2359;http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/15/arts/in-athens-art-blossoms-amid-debt-crisis.html?_r=1&%2360&%2362&%2359&_r=4&sq=greece%20art&st=cse%20&%2359;&scp=1&%2359;sq=greece%20art&%2359;st=cse

To see examples of Athenian street art, please visit: http://bleeps.gr/main/