Entitled "Gavotte Stephanie" the dancing show that made a big impression to the audience presented for the first time in Limassol, in 1939, and as confirmed by human testimonies, caused the admiration of an Arab millionaire.
As mentioned, the story of the performance was not so spectacular. It was essentially a romantic story with 3 girls and the plot was about a love letter. However, the performance caused the interest of an Arab tycoon who was in Limassol and who even offered £1,000 to each girl so that the show can also take place in Beirut.
The choreographer of the show, the well-known Lili Houry, although the amount offered was huge for the time, dismissed the proposal directly, since it did not conform to the customs of the time. Lili Houry was one of the greatest personalities of the time and a pioneer in the cultural happenings in Cyprus. She was the first dance teacher in Limassol and of the first to start the dancing performances throughout Cyprus. Nonetheless, the ethos and the honesty were of greater value to Houry and for that reason, she did not allow the performance of the show abroad.
Lily Houry
The performance continued successfully for many years, until 1957. The play performed again on stage in 1942 and 1944 for the Cypriot soldiers who were fighting in Italy, while at one of its performances, on a feast of Athinaeidio school, at the Theater of Yordamlli, Ethnarch Makarios attended.
Source information: Froso Hatzigeorgiou, “Lily Houry”
* NOTE: The tributes of the Project "History of Limassol" present information that has emerged from historical research thus far. Any new data is embedded into the tributes, once it has been confirmed.
