Traditional Greek folk dances to be performed

The Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission and the Folklife Program for New Jersey will present the Hellenic Dancers of New Jersey in a performance titled "Traditional Greek Folk Dance" at 7:30 p.m. July 16 at Plainsboro Middle School, 55 Grovers Mill Road, Plainsboro.

Combining traditional music and dance and authentic regional folk attire, the dancers will take the audience on a tour of Greece as they perform dances from all over the Greek Diaspora. The traditional handmade outfits the dancers wear will be discussed during the performance.

Established in 1972, Hellenic Dancers of New Jersey is made up of first-, secondor third-generation Greek-Americans dedicated to perpetuating their heritage through performances of the regional folk dances of Greece. Since its inception, the group has preserved more than 300 dances, songs and related traditions indigenous to mainland Greece, its islands and Asia Minor.

The performance is presented in conjunction with New Jersey State Museum's traveling folk art exhibition, "Culture in Context: A Tapestry of Expression" on display through July 29 at East Jersey Olde Towne Village, 1050 River Road, Piscataway. The exhibit, which focuses on and commemorates the traditional arts still practiced by tradition bearers throughout the diverse communities in New Jersey, incorporates objects, photographs and narratives about the artists and their work. The master folk artists featured in the traveling exhibition were selected from more than 100 who have participated in the Folk Arts Apprenticeship Grant Program of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

The performance and exhibit are a project of Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission, the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders, and made possible by grants from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, the New Jersey Historical Commission and the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Other funding was provided by the Hyde and Watson Foundation, the Bunbury Company, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Hastings Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

To register for the performance or for more information on the exhibit, call 732- 745-4489. Individuals with hearing disabilities may dial 732-745-3888 (TTY users only) or 711, via the New Jersey Relay System. Plainsboro Middle School and East Jersey Olde Towne Village are accessible sites. An assistive-listening system will be in use during the performance. Wheelchairs are available at the village upon request for visitors who may need assistance from the parking lot to the exhibit.