Submitted by Birch Graves
“Threaten your enemy!” Taso called, and the Spartans clanged spears against shields, chanting in unison, eyes intense. It was easy to imagine being the enemy they threatened, facing, weak-kneed, the spear points of a legendary Spartan phalanx. “Advance! Advance!” he called, and as one, the body of soldiers stepped forward, relentless until the call of “arrows!” at which point the phalanx curved back gracefully with shields thrown up, individuals working together to protect the group.
These Spartans were students in the Greenbrier East Spartan Marching Band, and the instructor was Taso Stavrakis.
Taso is the owner of the WV Renaissance Fair, where he acts and choreographs for the jousting show, a show he and his partners invented in 1979. In addition to his love of history and his own Greek heritage, he also draws from stunt and special effect work for movies such as Friday the 13th, Dawn of the Dead, The Mask of Zorro, and The Pirates of the Caribbean.
Mr. Stavrakis came to the high school to teach these kids to fight with spear and shield like the ancient Spartan hoplites, and along the way he enriched their knowledge of the classic world with a hands-on learning experience they will not soon forget.
“I thought it was a fantastic experience,” said Christian Montgomery, a junior at Greenbrier East, “it let us capture the way Spartans would work together… and the different techniques they used to defeat their enemies in battle.”
This year, the Spartan Marching Band show is “Sparta!” – a show which celebrates the Spartan mascot and the ancient people’s bold spirit. It is an exciting show, with bold visuals and thrilling music reminiscent of an old Hollywood film. Taso’s training is influencing the choreography of the fourth movement, The Battle of Thermopylae, and at a recent practice, the phalanxes were formed again as director Jim Allder worked collaboratively with students and his staff to create a battle scene within the creative realm of the marching band field.