Gypsy at St George Greek Orthodox Church in Palm Desert
Greek dance has been a staple of Gypsy's repertoire from the beginnings of the ensemble and we have performed at a number of Greek festivals and private events. One of our longest associations has been with St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Palm Desert. The city of Palm Desert is located in California's Coachella Valley, about 15 miles east of Palm Springs. The church was founded by a small group of Greek Orthodox believers in 1978 and has grown into a flourishing community.
In 1997 St. George Church held its first Greek festival as a community event to celebrate Greek culture and as a means to raise funds for church activities. The festivals have included a variety of events, from Greek food and souvenirs to Greek music and dance to tours of the church. The Gypsy Folk Ensemble first provided the Greek dance entertainment for the festival in 1998 and has continued to do so in many of the years since, including 2024. The trip out there from Los Angeles is a two hour drive through mountain passes, desert and wind farms full of giant turbines. Our standard schedule has been two shows a day, afternoon and evening, for Saturday and Sunday. This gives us plenty of time to visit the festival and the various attractions in the Palm Desert area. We want to thank all the staff, workers and festival-goers who have made our February treks out to Palm Desert so enjoyable for so many years and a special thank you to coordinator George Argyros. |  | |
Here's a gallery of the dancers in performance: | ||
 | Our favorite part of the day - Greek pastries and maybe a bit of Ouzo |  |
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 | And here are the dancers at leisure | Talking to the press  |
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