Seattle, Washington, USA –
Memorial Day Weekend means two things in the Pacific Northwest–the beginning of summer and the annual Northwest Folklife Festival in Seattle. The Festival, an enormous celebration of folk traditions from every corner of the globe, is one of the largest in the country, bringing together more than 220,000 people every Memorial Day Weekend for a long weekend of jamming, dancing, and have-a-great-time participation. This year it will take place May 23-26, 2003.There are roughly 1,500 presentations on 21 stages over one weekend. There is participatory music and dancing, choral singing, storytelling; there are exhibits and workshops, films, panel discussions, poetry readings, craft sales and demonstrations and more throughout the weekend.
Music and dance performances focus on a variety of world cultures. Special events showcase the traditional music and dance of Korea, Senegal, and Southeast Asia. There are master classical musicians from north and south India, and an Arabic showcase featuring dance from Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt; music performed on the oud, the nay, and the tabla; and Arab women’s poetry. Performers present the traditional sounds of Africa, Asia, Brazil, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Philippines, South America, Western Europe and more.
Information at www.nwfolklife.org
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