Dean Avdalas has been a dancer and dance instructor in the Greek community of the Bay Area for over 30 years. His passion and love for Greek culture has led him to develop exemplary skills as a dancer, director, choreographer, and researcher. His main areas of research and interest include Epiros, Sarakatsan villages, and Megalo Monastiri (refugees residing in Neo Monastiri, Domokou, Thessalia). Dean has presented groundbreaking work with the Albanian border villages of Northern Epiros and the customs of the Dodekaimerou in Neo Monastiri. He has amassed a vast collection of field research and music from all areas of Greece. He served as judge at the Hellenic Dance Festival in the Metropolis of Atlanta since 2011 and at the Greek Orthodox dance festival FDF in the Metropolis of San Francisco (2013). His greatest source of inspiration and drive for Greek dance excellence and preservation are his mother and father (may their memories be eternal).