CRETE Magazines Oct. 2014 | Page 30

Cretan Culture in America The PAA Recognizes District 5 Cretan Musicians and Dance Troupes I n this issue of KPHTH magazine we are highlighting the dance troupes of our PAA Chapters in District 5. These include the Minotavros and KriKri dance troupes of Salt Lake City, Utah, and the Idomeneas dance troupe of Denver, Colorado. We are also highlighting Pavli Papadakis, a talented musician from Salt Lake City, who plays laouto. You will have the chance to meet them personally next summer at our PAA National Convention in Salt Lake City. — Bob Markakis, PAA Culture and Education Chair DISTRICT 5 MUSICIAN PAVLI PAPADAKIS Pavli Papadakis was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on November 12, 1994, to Maria and Spiro Papadakis. His parents were born in Mouriziana and Voukolies, Kissamos, Chania. Pavli currently lives in Salt Lake City. He picked up his first instrument, the guitar, at the age of 12, but he never really Pavli Papadakis played much. He then picked up the bouzouki at the age of 14. He liked the bouzouki, but he kept telling his parents that he wanted a laouto. By the summer of 2009, he saved up enough money to buy a 25-year-old Fragkiadaki laouto. His teacher, Xarilaos Vlastakis, from Kastelli, Kissamos, taught him the basics when Pavli was in Crete. Back in the United States, not a day went by that he did not play. He would listen to songs and watch Youtube videos and pick up a song right away after only listening to it one or two times. He soon was being invited to play at wed30 KPHTH | OCTOBER 2014 dings, baptisms and glendia in Salt Lake City, Denver, Detroit and Montreal. He then ordered a professional laouto made by Vlastaki in 2013. His favorite time to play the laouto is “Anytime.” Pavli truly has a passion for music, and was recently accepted into Boston’s Berklee College of Music. During his audition, he stuck to his roots, playing and singing a Cretan melody on the laouto. Some of his favorite musicians are Thanassis Skordalos, Kostas Papadakis (Naftis), Psarogiorgis, and Nikos Manias. Learning Cretan music led him to discovering music in general and not limiting himself only to the Creta genre. SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH’S DANCE TROUPE The Minotavros Youth Dance Group has certainly grown since the first group was organized in 1986. The first group was founded with the encouragement and support of then District 5 Governor Chris Tsoutsounis. There were 11 original