Laboratory of culture and folklore

Creative youth and adults in the Agii Omologitess

For 11 years the Agii Omologitess' Cultural Workshop offers the opportunity for children and adults to work creatively with the fields of art such as dance, music, theater and photography - encouraging them to develop their artistic expression while gaining valuable knowledge and experiences the object of their interest. For some time, the workshop carries out its operations into new space in the heart of Agii Omologitess, Ierodiaconou Mansion.

The Cultural Workshop was registered as a foundation in 2002, however, operated since February 1999 as a Folk Dance Workshop Saints Confessors. Founded by people who had special interest in traditional culture of Cyprus and the wider Greek world. Thus, the effect of the workshop began with an emphasis in dance, creating groups of children and adults. Soon, however, central to the objectives of the workshop was to deal with the manners and customs, song, music and clothing, which are integral parts of popular Cypriot culture.

The effort of the laboratory in this direction is expressed today by making a series of events, including:

1. Ethnographic research in Cyprus, to collect data from dancers and musicians as primary sources. Within these surveys were collected through interviews and material, sound recordings and visualizations.
2. Bibliographic study material while creating library research material registration records.
3. Seminars to acquire knowledge about specific Helladic sites (including the Mecra Asia, Crete, Karpathos and Thrace) with the participation of special guests on relevant issues.
4. Create a wardrobe of traditional costumes in order to respond to local and temporal contexts in which they refer dances. Typically, they have prepared or purchased about 80 traditional costumes from all over Greece (Thrace, Islands, N. Greece, Mecra Asia and Cyprus).
5. Accompaniment of dances with live music or by Cypriot or Greek musicians who enjoy the hospitality at the workshop during their stay on the island.

Moreover, at 11 years of operation, the workshop has made a significant number of presentations with educational and entertaining. The laboratory maintains ongoing collaboration with the University over a decade, and particularly the events of the Cultural Festival. He has given several performances at the Mansion House of Axiotheas street, but has participated in shows abroad. In the latter category is worth noting limited instances of the workshop on "Events for the acceding countries of the EU" in Madrid in 2002, the representation of Cyprus in the event of its accession to the EU in Dublin in 2004, "International County-Wandering Festival, Meeting for Children, Younger, Adult Dance Groups" Zegket in Hungary in 2005, the festival "Ollin Kan" held in Mexico City in 2009 and to celebrate the "Day Europe "in Madrid in May 2010.

Also, performances are given each year by the children's section of the workshop in the courtyard of the temple of Agii Omologites during the feast of the parish on November 15, and for charitable purposes such as events of the School for the Blind, the Multipurpose Center of Strovolos etc.

Further activities

Since 2007, the Cultural Workshop has expended to a range of activities. Organizes Workshop Theater Game of actions which children can grow psychomotor development.Also, teens can attend courses of traditional music and instruments by professionals Cypriot and Greek musicians Traditional Music Workshop, and the Film and Photo Workshop dedicated to creating documentaries and photography exhibitions on the neighborhood of the Holy Confessors and organizes seminars for young photographers.

In recent years, the Cultural Workshop Europe participates and organizes programs for youth and adults. The knowledge and experience gained by the participants is important, since many members of the Laboratory are teachers. Some of the activities already implemented by the youth exchange through the "Youth in Action, Body Language - Let's Communicate", which was awarded by the European Commission in 2008, participation in Lifelong Learning "Choice 2007 - 2009 "but the realization of international educational conference" European Neighborhood "in Nicosia in 2008.

Mansion Ierodiaconou (Description)

Ierodiakonou Mansion, the restored two-storey listed building in the heart of the Holy Confessors, is now the permanent home of the activities of the Cultural Workshop Saints Confessors. Aspiring to become a center of culture and coexistence in the heart of the city, a place where young and adults of the parish and the wider Nicosia, will have multiple opportunities for social and lifelong learning through non-formal education programs.

The dynamics of this area also allows a great diversity of activities that address the diverse needs of friends of the Cultural Workshop. Especially children will have opportunities healthy employment in their spare time, learning traditional dances and music, creating through game play, studying their lessons through teaching, reading books in the library housed in the mansion, talking with an experienced facilitator forproblems in the neighborhood or region, or even playing board games and other games. Older friends of Cultural Ergatiriou, apart from the opportunities for traditional dance and song, you still have opportunities for personal development through seminars, lectures, exhibitions, screenings and discussions will be held at the palace.

The library, reading room, the canteen will be open to the public the following days and hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 20:00. The public can obtain information about events and activities of the Laboratory over the internet, the website http://www.politistiko-ergastiri.org/.

The above text belongs to Michael Papantonopoulos and is reprinted since its first publication in "Protevoussa" magazine, issue November 2010