S10E7: John Lulias

John Lulias was raised in Tarpon Springs, Florida, and is a second generation Greek-American. John has been involved in the Greek community and Greek Folk Arts all of his life and learned Greek fluently as a child.     In 1974, after graduating from the University of Florida, he moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,  and became part of the Greek dance troupe, *Terpsichoreans.* It was there that he began to study and really learn the intricacies of Greek dance style and love for anything Greek.      Upon his return to Tarpon Springs in 1979, John formed the dance troupe *Levendia* and developed this group into one of the premier Greek folk dance troupes in the United States. He directed the group for more than 20 years.  The group traveled throughout the United States and Canada, the Bahamas, and Greece, promoting, perpetuating, and preserving the Greek culture through song and dance. John was co-curator of *The Dodecanese Islands,* an exhibit featuring artifacts, costumes, and recreated room settings from the Dodecanese Islands in Greece, at the Tarpon Springs Cultural Center.  On October 3, 2003, John received a University of Florida (UF) award for his years of work teaching Greek dances. He has been on the Advisory Council of the Center for Greek Studies at UF.   John has done workshops throughout the United States, has been a judge at the Greek Folk Dance Festival in California, and was the founder of the Winter Dance Conference in Tarpon Springs.  John was also on the first board that started the Hellenic Dance Festival for the Atlanta Metropolis.  In 2014, John was awarded the Florida Folk Heritage Award for significant contributions to Florida's cultural heritage through his outstanding achievements as a lifelong advocate of traditional Greek dance.   Today John tries to keep Greece alive in the Tampa Bay area by helping with cultural exchanges, organizing events for the community, and bringing groups and travelers to Greece.  The Greek roots instilled by his parents have played an important part in the lives of both John and his brother, Archbishop Nikitas of Great Britain and Thyateira.