Center for Traditional Music and Dance https://ctmd.org/ Tue, 12 Mar 2024 17:49:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.1 https://ctmd.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/cropped-CTMD_Circle-32x32.png Center for Traditional Music and Dance https://ctmd.org/ 32 32 Remembering Pete Sokolow (1940-2022) https://ctmd.org/magazine/master-artists-profiles/remembering-pete-sokolow-1940-2022/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=remembering-pete-sokolow-1940-2022 Tue, 12 Mar 2024 17:47:30 +0000 https://ctmd.org/?p=5698 Pete Sokolow (1940-2022) was an icon of klezmer music, a musician, author and teacher who bridged musical eras. Known as the ¨youngest of the old guys,¨ the Brooklyn-born Sokolow built his reputation performing in the Jewish Catskills, and became the first-call pianist for a coterie of leading New York klezmer musicians including Dave Tarras, the …

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Pete Sokolow (1940-2022) was an icon of klezmer music, a musician, author and teacher who bridged musical eras. Known as the ¨youngest of the old guys,¨ the Brooklyn-born Sokolow built his reputation performing in the Jewish Catskills, and became the first-call pianist for a coterie of leading New York klezmer musicians including Dave Tarras, the Epstein Brothers, Rudy Tepel, Paul Pincus, Ray Musiker, Sid Beckerman and Howie Leess.

On the bandstand, Sokolow’s prodigious musicianship and ability to tastefully synthesize elements of jazz with klezmer and Hasidic music was indispensable. For young musicians participating in klezmer’s celebrated revival since the 1970s, Sokolow served as the consummate elder statesman and ambassador for the music’s rich heritage. He championed the artistry of the older masters, coaxing a number of retired colleagues back onstage while mentoring several generations of revivalists, including long-time collaborator Henry Sapoznik.

Sokolow’s towering legacy lives on in the continuing creative development of klezmer, numerous performances and interviews preserved in film and sound recordings, a corpus of published writings authored by or about him, and of course, in the cherished family he raised with Vera– their sons Michael and Daniel now lead growing families of their own.

CTMD and Yiddish New York celebrated Pete’s remarkable life and legacy in an online program that took place live on Zoom on December 19, 2023, and we are pleased to archive it here. This special program is hosted by klezmer revival hero Henry Sapoznik and features reflections by members of Sokolow’s family and a number of musical colleagues.

You can watch the video by clicking here.

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World Music and Dance Festival https://ctmd.org/magazine/ctmd-news/world-music-and-dance-festival/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=world-music-and-dance-festival Mon, 26 Feb 2024 17:54:11 +0000 https://ctmd.org/?p=5696 On Sunday afternoon October 29th, 2023, Lotus Music and Dance hosted its 8th Annual World Dance Festival: Dancing Across Cultural Borders at the Manhattan Movement Arts Center. Presented in partnership with Robert Browning Associates, this vibrant and celebratory event showcased the talent of master artists from four distinct cultures: Sri Lanka, Korea, West Africa, and …

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On Sunday afternoon October 29th, 2023, Lotus Music and Dance hosted its 8th Annual World Dance Festival: Dancing Across Cultural Borders at the Manhattan Movement Arts Center. Presented in partnership with Robert Browning Associates, this vibrant and celebratory event showcased the talent of master artists from four distinct cultures: Sri Lanka, Korea, West Africa, and Buryatia (Russia). Among those who performed were CTMD Touring Artists Zerd Buryat-Mongolian Ensemble, Sri Lankan Dance Academy of NY, and Sidiki Conde and Friends. These artists took center stage, sharing their unique expressions and stories with the audience through rhythm, song, and dance.

Zerd, a New York-based Buyrat-Mongolian ensemble of singers, dancers, and morin khuur (horse-head fiddle) players, kicked off the evening, performing five pieces that transported audience members into the heart of the Buryat communities’ rich history and culture. Featuring morin khuur players Dimitry Ayurov and Baatar Bukhae, guitarist and vocalist Ayusha Sanzhiev, and dancers Tamun Radnaev and Galina Badmaeva, the ensemble’s performances were met with enthusiastic applause and cheering. A standout moment occurred during Zerd’s closing number, “Uulen Bor,” when Ayurov and Bukhae used the morin khuur strings to imitate the distinctive sound of a horse neighing. 

Following Zerd was the Sri Lankan Dance Academy of NY, who began with an expressive and colorful number blending traditional and modern kandyan dance choreography with live drumming. My favorite aspect of this performance was observing the tight coordination between the dancers and the drummers. As Sachindara Navinna noted to the audience: “It’s very important for the dancers and drummers to have a relationship. They need to be able to feed off of each other’s energy. The drummer needs to know when the dancer is about to take a step and the dancer needs to know what beat is coming next.” The Academy also performed a “pahatharata” piece, a dance style from the southern region of Sri Lanka, which received a standing ovation. 

Wrapping up the show was a performance by Sidiki Conde and Friends. Their energetic display of Guinea-West African dance and drumming had the audience up on their feet, clapping along to the beat and even engaging in a vocal call-and-response with the performers. Many audience members, including myself, continued dancing and clapping as they filtered out of the auditorium. What resonated with me the most, however, was Sidiki’s speech at the beginning of his performance: “If you don’t have a leg, that doesn’t make you handicapped. If you don’t have a hand, that doesn’t make you handicapped. You are a human being because nobody can represent your face without you.” 

Beyond the stage, the festival also offered a vibrant community atmosphere. The auditorium buzzed with anticipation before and after each performance, and during intermission, audience members engaged in lively discussions (often in various languages) about the dance and music styles they witnessed. It was inspiring to see people engaging with each other’s cultures, and a beautiful reminder of the shared humanity that binds us together. 

Don’t miss the opportunity to experience this cultural celebration firsthand. You can watch the performance at this link.

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FolkCOLOMBIA Escuela de Danza y Música: Cultivating Colombian Arts in New York City https://ctmd.org/magazine/ctmd-news/folkcolombia-escuela-de-danza-y-musica-cultivating-colombian-arts-in-new-york-city/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=folkcolombia-escuela-de-danza-y-musica-cultivating-colombian-arts-in-new-york-city Fri, 16 Feb 2024 19:26:48 +0000 https://ctmd.org/?p=5691 On a recent Saturday morning, a small room at the Jackson Heights Community United Methodist Church in Queens, New York is bustling with young children. Some are sitting patiently on chairs while others are running around excitedly or playing drums provided to them. Parents and other adult caretakers stand in a line nearby, waiting to …

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On a recent Saturday morning, a small room at the Jackson Heights Community United Methodist Church in Queens, New York is bustling with young children. Some are sitting patiently on chairs while others are running around excitedly or playing drums provided to them. Parents and other adult caretakers stand in a line nearby, waiting to check in for the day’s first class. It’s a diverse crowd, with people speaking numerous languages, including French, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish. They have gathered for the same purpose: to participate in the FolkCOLOMBIA Escuela de Danza y Música (FCE), a unique arts education program.

Founded in 2015 through the Center for Traditional Music and Dance’s Sustaining Cultural Initiative, FolkCOLOMBIA Escuela is the only performing arts program in New York City with a stated mission to serve the Colombian community. The school is located in Jackson Heights, NY (aka “Little Colombia”), where it helps young Colombians reconnect with their heritage while nurturing a new generation of young artists in the ever-changing landscape of Latin American art in New York City. 

This Fall’s 2023 semester program includes classes on the rhythms of Colombia’s Pacific Coast as well as Andean dance and music. Currently, there are 106 people enrolled across all the classes. Many are there for Musquita, a new program partner that combines music, language, and performance into a joyful celebration for children and parents alike. 

“Our mission is to spread connections amongst families while cultivating Spanish vocabulary through some traditional folk songs,” said Jesse Elder of Musiquita. “Whatever we can bring that they [the families] will understand, given that we have an audience where there are zero to three year-old kids, some of whom have no exposure to Spanish.”

Blanca González, the other half of Musiquita, said they try to do it gently: “We basically work with families and encourage them to sing with their children so that it will help boost the kids’ confidence through their language development.”

With repertoire ranging from traditional Colombian folk songs to classic American pop tunes like the “Ghostbusters” theme song, it’s no wonder Musiquita is so popular among families. 

In large part, what makes the FCE classes so meaningful is the student-teacher relationships and the connections they create. Ruben Dario Mejia, a Colombian music and dance instructor who has been teaching for 11 years, said his favorite part of teaching is seeing all the students: “They are excited to work with me,” he said, adding that the best part of the classes, aside from being free (at no cost), is that they help raise awareness and expose non-Colombian people to Colombian culture: “You get to know a very beautiful part of Colombia, which is its music and dance. Colombia is not only violence and drugs. It also has culture, it has art.”

Nestor Gomez, a master drummer who has been teaching at FCE for six years, said his favorite part is seeing the community participate and learn something new.

“We have individuals from different regions, different countries, different backgrounds not only coming together and doing something in the community but also informing themselves about some sort of cultural music that may not be familiar to them. And it’s super, super exciting for the kids. They learn the songs. And then there’s the final recital where they all perform and dance together. The fun part about that is being able to see the collaboration and anticipation.”

Above all, the most important part of the program is the sense of kinship it provides for the community. Program director, Dr. Jorge Arévalo Mateus, who has been directing the FolkCOLOMBIA Escuela project since its Community Cultural Initiative (CCI) origins, states that the program is essential to both the NYC Colombian community at large, including musicians, dancers, teaching artists, and families, but also to a general public, fostering both a greater understanding of Colombian cultural contributions to New York City and appreciation of its rich elements. He adds, “building and developing community in a city as complex as New York is certainly a big challenge; each ethnic group presents a range of issues and approaches that can be taken. However, in my experience with FolkCOLOMBIA Escuela, it is the commitment to that sense of “family” learning and love of Colombian music and dance that allows the community to recognize itself as such.”   

Learn more about FolkCOLOMBIA Escuela at their website, and be sure to follow them on social media. 

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FolkCOLOMBIA Escuela Holiday and Graduation Show! https://ctmd.org/magazine/ctmd-news/folkcolombia-escuela-holiday-and-graduation-show/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=folkcolombia-escuela-holiday-and-graduation-show Fri, 22 Dec 2023 00:28:31 +0000 https://ctmd.org/?p=5659 Marking the end of FolkCOLOMBIA Escuela’s Fall 2023 season, on Saturday, Dec 9th, school doors were opened to local friends, families and the public, inviting everyone to share in our Holiday Season program while celebrating the accomplishments of our talented students. Meeting every week, each student–and even some parents–was awarded a graduation certificate for their …

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Marking the end of FolkCOLOMBIA Escuela’s Fall 2023 season, on Saturday, Dec 9th, school doors were opened to local friends, families and the public, inviting everyone to share in our Holiday Season program while celebrating the accomplishments of our talented students. Meeting every week, each student–and even some parents–was awarded a graduation certificate for their efforts.

The program’s focus this Fall was “El Pasillo Chocoano”, a deeply traditional Colombian dance from the Andean Choco region. Dance master and director Rubén Dario Mejia and his wife Paula Toro Velez demonstrated the humorous air and delicate yet popular courting choreography of the folk dance. Children then showed the percussion rhythms they learned from Rubén’s percussion workshop. Followed by Nes Gomez Jr., the escuela’s master drummer and educator, who introduced and performed with a children’s percussion ensemble, demonstrating pasillo parche parche, yet another of the many rhythms from Colombia. It was amazing!

The really little ones along with their parents were also treated to the virtuoso talents of Blanca Gonzalez and Jesse Elder of Musiquita, with a sing- and dance-along of classic Spanish songs, such as “Los Pollitos”, “Año Viejo” and, of course, “Feliz Navidad!” The energy of Musiquita has been a highlight of the semester and we love them! 

The traditional musical instruments and beautiful costumes have now been stored and our teaching artists and staff have wrapped up another year of challenging yet fun-filled community-building. That is the mission of our Colombian arts and education program– FolkCOLOMBIA Escuela is all about community and the important role of arts education to foster cultural knowledge, friendship and understanding.

Happy Holidays everyone!

We look forward to bringing you FolkCOLOMBIA Escuela in 2024!! 

Jorge Arévalo Mateus

 

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Summer 2023 in Review: the Buryat Community’s Ayalga Cultural Festival https://ctmd.org/magazine/ctmd-news/nycs-buryat-community-puts-together-ayalga-festival/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=nycs-buryat-community-puts-together-ayalga-festival Tue, 10 Oct 2023 20:25:34 +0000 https://ctmd.org/?p=5594 For the third year in a row, greater New York’s Buryat community congregated (and in-person!) at the My Way Education Center in Midwood, Brooklyn, on June 10 for the Ayalga Cultural Festival. Not only a celebratory concert of the endangered Buryat language and traditional art forms, the festival also gave participating community youth the rare …

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For the third year in a row, greater New York’s Buryat community congregated (and in-person!) at the My Way Education Center in Midwood, Brooklyn, on June 10 for the Ayalga Cultural Festival. Not only a celebratory concert of the endangered Buryat language and traditional art forms, the festival also gave participating community youth the rare opportunity to study with language, dance, and music teachers for several weeks prior to stepping onto the stage and get American-Buryat children speaking their ancestral language. 

The Buryats are a Mongolian sub-group whose indigenous lands reside in and around the Lake Baikal region of Siberian Russia and northern Mongolia. Despite mostly living in the Autonomous Republic of Buryatia as part of the Russian Federation, they have long suffered efforts to erase Buryat identity, culture, and language over the centuries, spurring the emigration of many. 

 The first substantial wave of Buryats to New York City first began in the early 2000s, congregating mostly in the Gravesend neighborhood of Brooklyn. But with the invasion of Ukraine and the risk of conscription into the Russian army, a second wave began arriving in 2022 through whatever means possible, including the dangerous trek across the Mexican border to seek political asylum. 

Due to these cultural threats unfolding in the homeland, the New York community has long been highly interested in preserving the Buryat language alongside traditional music and dance forms in the United States.  

The Ayalga Cultural Festival, accordingly, first came into being in 2021 through the ongoing Inner Asian Sustaining Cultures Initiative (2020-present) when festival director Darina Sanzhieva, local elder Liudmila Bazarova, music teacher Baiarma Rinchinova, and CTMD program director Andrew Colwell, PhD formed a committee to explore ways of addressing these looming cultural problems. The consensus was soon clear: a community concert, but one where students can actually study language, traditional song, and dance one-on-one with knowledgeable teachers, which is very hard to do in the American context. 

Due to pandemic-era restrictions, the first iteration was aired online on November 11, 2021, and featured pre-recorded presentations by youth, local talents, and professionals. It wasn’t until 2022 that organizers, artists, teachers, and students could meet and work in person in depth, resulting in a remarkable in-person event of which the Buryat community had not yet seen.  

The 2023 also festival featured students’ novice performances of folk tunes or dance alongside the mastery of professional artists alongside the cultural knowledge of local elders and community talents. CTMD Touring Artists the Zerd Ensemble performed, this time featuring new member, and recently arrived, singer, horse fiddler, and throat-singer Sayan Balzhiev. Aya Ganga, a collective of community artists, also returned to present a wide range of yokhor, a popular and participatory circle dance, as well a reenactment of a traditional wedding for the audience to take notes. 

Music teacher Baiarma Rinchonva and language teacher Liubov Dondokova watched proudly from the audience, observing the culmination of months of study from their students, who studied with both teachers to sing and understand the lyrics of traditional songs from the homeland. New this year was dance teacher Tumun Radnaev, who had his quite young students of 7-10 years of age practicing every Saturday in anticipation of their debut at Ayalga.  

Community filmmaker Andrei Barguev made a short video of the event’s activities available here.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the leadership of festival director Darina Sanzhieva, who worked tirelessly to organize and gather Buryats from across the Tri-State region. 

Thanks to the success of last year’s event and these three teachers, this year’s youth participation greatly increased: stage manager Darima Ochirov estimated there were 50 performers, over thirty of which were students. And with the success of this year’s event, other ethnically Mongol communities in the greater New York area have expressed their interest in either participating in next year’s Ayalga or organizing similar events of their own.

As Sanzhieva said, “We received feedback from all Mongol community members to make the festival bigger so the representatives of Khamag Mongol [or ‘United Mongols,’ including Buryats, Kalmyks, Ar Mongols, Uvur Mongols, Tuvans, and Hazaras] can participate. As Mongol people we have one culture, one language and the same traditions. The festival would help to preserve and promote Mongolian culture within the United States.”

A special thank you to the National Endowment for the Arts for making this event possible!

 

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Soorya Festival Celebrates Sri Lankan Culture in Staten Island! https://ctmd.org/magazine/ctmd-news/soorya-festival-celebrates-sri-lankan-culture-in-staten-island/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=soorya-festival-celebrates-sri-lankan-culture-in-staten-island Tue, 10 Oct 2023 20:23:03 +0000 https://ctmd.org/?p=5589 Rain did nothing to deter the crowd of people who attended the 2023 Soorya NYC Festival of Sri Lankan Culture and Traditions. On Friday, September 8th, against the emerald green backdrop of Staten Island’s Tappen Park, family and community members came together, umbrellas in hand, to immerse themselves in the vibrant and varied traditions of …

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Rain did nothing to deter the crowd of people who attended the 2023 Soorya NYC Festival of Sri Lankan Culture and Traditions. On Friday, September 8th, against the emerald green backdrop of Staten Island’s Tappen Park, family and community members came together, umbrellas in hand, to immerse themselves in the vibrant and varied traditions of Sri Lanka. 

This festival, which the Center for Traditional Music and Dance presented in collaboration with Sri Lankan tradition bearers, artists, musicians, and community members, operates under a three-fold mission: to preserve Sri Lankan heritage in NYC, encourage meaningful dialogue between ethnically diverse factions of the Sri Lankan community, and share the country’s cultural traditions with the broader public. Sachindara Navinna, CTMD’s Manager of Artist Relations and Operations, adds that the festival also allows the community to challenge common misconceptions about Sri Lanka: “Many people think Sri Lanka is just like India. But it’s really not. We have our own people, traditions, religions, landscape, and food.”   

Staten Island, sometimes called the “Forgotten Borough,” has served as the site for Soorya since the festival’s inception in 2018. Like the rest of New York, it has a significant immigrant population. Its ties to the Sri Lankan diaspora are especially strong. In the 1970s, many Sri Lankans emigrated to New York City, bringing their unique cultures and traditions. Staten Island was a popular destination for them due to the affordable housing. Over the following decades, the Sri Lankan population on Staten Island grew from an influx of refugees fleeing the civil war in their home country. Today, it is home to the largest Sri Lankan population in the US. However, the long-lasting impacts of the war have created many barriers. 

 “Even though the civil war is over, there is still a divide,” says Navinna. “Plenty of one type events take place each year among the individual communities that showcase their specific traditions; however, there are almost no cross-community events. The Soorya Initiative is unique because the entire community gets together to have a full on stage production celebrating multiple traditions within Sri Lanka.” 

This year’s program showcased two major classical traditions practiced in Sri Lanka— Kandyan and Carnatic music and dance. Kicking off the evening was a riveting perahera (drum procession) by master artists that included traditional Kandyan dance and costumes. Principal dancers Medhini Lokuhewa and Hayley Nanayakkara from the Sri Lankan Dance Academy of NY followed this up by leading a lively workshop in Kandyan dance, teaching participants traditional handwork positions, and holding a competition to see who could hold the longest mendiya–an outward-facing squat, where your feet are in a V position.

Bala Skandan also wowed audiences with his lecture and mridangam demonstration. An acclaimed percussionist, musician, and teacher—as well as the lead artist and composer of the NY-based Indian-classical music group, Akshara Music Ensemble—Skandan spoke about the intricacies and rhythmic framework of Carnatic rhythms and demonstrated how they sound on the mridangam, a double-headed drum. This was then followed by a guru-apprentice performance by Calai Chandrasekaram and her student, Kriti Iyer, who showcased the beauty and cross-generational practice of Bharatanatyam dance. 

When there was no mainstage performance, people mingled and explored various workshops, activities, and vendors, including henna face painting, drum circles, and handcrafts. DJs Sadeipa and Duli kept the audience on their feet throughout the evening, playing various musical genres and styles. And under a white tent near the main stage, Chef Mahesh Abeysekera and Chef Monica Perera kept everyone fed with bowls of homemade Biryani and cutlets, respectively.  

Regarding the festival’s future, Navinna expressed her hope that Soorya will one day get the same attention as other cultural/religious festivals in New York: “I feel people often don’t know about Sri Lanka and this festival is such a great opportunity to learn. There are so many events like the Polish Festival, Holi at Central Park, or even the Dominican Day parade, and I want people to know that there is a Sri Lankan festival, too!”

I asked Soorya Consulting Director Naomi Sturm-Wijesinghe what she hopes people take away from the festival, and she responded: “Soorya is not just another festival. It’s also an ongoing, intentional community-building exercise involving the Sri Lankan community and the broader public who attend the festival. While it’s great if people come and have fun, I hope they also leave with a much more holistic understanding of Sri Lankan culture.” 

If you have yet to attend the Soorya festival, I encourage you to do so next year. Witnessing the Sri Lankan community come together to celebrate their traditions and humanity despite contentious history inspired me. And I hope it will inspire you, too. 

 

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The Tahlila West African Drumming and Song Workshop Series Comes to a Close https://ctmd.org/magazine/ctmd-news/the-tahlila-west-african-drumming-and-song-workshop-series-comes-to-a-close/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-tahlila-west-african-drumming-and-song-workshop-series-comes-to-a-close Thu, 15 Jun 2023 16:11:44 +0000 https://ctmd.org/?p=5514 A very special thank you to the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation for making this special program possible! The Tahlila West African Drumming and Song Workshop Series focused on West African drumming and song with public school students, who are predominantly of Afro-Caribbean descent, at the Julius E. Sprauve public school, with technical assistance from the …

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A very special thank you to the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation for making this special program possible!

The Tahlila West African Drumming and Song Workshop Series focused on West African drumming and song with public school students, who are predominantly of Afro-Caribbean descent, at the Julius E. Sprauve public school, with technical assistance from the St. John School of the Arts, on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands.

From May 5 to June 23rd, CTMD Touring Artist and master Guinean drummer and dancer Sidiki Conde traveled to the U.S. Virgin Islands with support from the Mid Atlantic Folk and Traditional Arts Community Projects Grants program.

All photos courtesy of Deborah Ross

In collaboration with local drumming master Eddie Bruce,  he lead workshops exploring Afro-Caribbean and West African heritage through rhythm and song with local youth and artists. Students learned West African kasa, a rhythm played during communal harvests using both djembe and dongo drums. 15 students attended the workshops for five days with Conde and Bruce joined the workshops on 3 days.

One individual student stood out and soon took over as lead student drummer while taking the time to help other students master the rhythm.

The workshop drummers and singers gave a finale performance attended by the whole school and a number of parents and community members. Sidiki opened the show with a traditional song and the story of his culture and high place music holds in West Africa. Bruce spoke to the students about the African drum and its place in Caribbean culture. The audience joined in clapping the beat. Many were dancing. At performance end, line after line of the younger students came on stage to play the drums and join the music.

A special thank you to Jeune Provost, director of St. John School of the Arts, who facilitated the program; the Julius E. Sprauve public school, which hosted the workshops; and principal Michelle Rogers-Bully, who provided introductions to the students; and Deborah Ross, an amazing artist in her own right and tour manager!

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Folk COLOMBIA’s Spring Graduation! https://ctmd.org/magazine/ctmd-news/folk-colombias-spring-graduation/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=folk-colombias-spring-graduation Fri, 09 Jun 2023 21:20:06 +0000 https://ctmd.org/?p=5487 The Folk COLOMBIA Escuela class of Spring 2023 held its Graduation Day event on Saturday, May 20th at the Community United Methodist Center of Jackson Heights. Under the direction of teaching artists Ruben Dario Mejía, Nes Gomez, and Karla Florez, the students presented a beautiful program including LA IGUANA, a tambora dance; JOTA CHOCOANA, a bambuco; and, …

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The Folk COLOMBIA Escuela class of Spring 2023 held its Graduation Day event on Saturday, May 20th at the Community United Methodist Center of Jackson Heights. Under the direction of teaching artists Ruben Dario Mejía, Nes Gomez, and Karla Florez, the students presented a beautiful program including LA IGUANA, a tambora dance; JOTA CHOCOANA, a bambuco; and, a percussion ensemble performing TAMBORA rhythms of the Atlantic coast of Colombia.

The Spring semester marked a successful return of the Escuela program and the community response was fantastic, with many parents joining in the classes along with the kids.
Made up of students that reflect the diversity of the Latin and Latinx community in Queens, FolkCOLOMBIA Escuela is proud of their achievements, completing the twelve-week program. We hope to continue our mission of arts and culture education, one that fosters appreciation and knowledge of new and traditional Colombian music and dance for new generations of young Latinos/as

La clase Folk COLOMBIA Escuela de Primavera 2023 llevó a cabo su evento del Día de Graduación el sábado 20 de mayo en el Community United Methodist Center de Jackson Heights. Bajo la dirección de los artistas docentes Rubén Darío Mejía, Nes Gómez y Karla Flórez, los estudiantes presentaron un hermoso programa que incluyó LA IGUANA, un baile de tambora; JOTA CHOCOANA, un bambuco; y, un conjunto de percusión interpretando ritmos TAMBORA de la costa atlántica de Colombia. El semestre de primavera marcó un regreso exitoso del programa Escuela y la respuesta de la comunidad fue fantástica, con muchos padres uniéndose a las clases junto con los niños. Agradecemos a todos los que asistieron y celebraron. Compuesta por estudiantes que reflejan la diversidad de la comunidad latina y latinx en Queens, FolkCOLOMBIA Escuela se enorgullece de sus logros al completar el programa de doce semanas. Esperamos continuar con nuestra misión de educación artística y cultural, que fomente la apreciación y el conocimiento de la música y la danza colombiana nueva y tradicional para las nuevas generaciones de jóvenes latinos/as.

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The Soorya Festival Returns in September 2023! https://ctmd.org/magazine/ctmd-news/the-soorya-festival-returns-for-summer-2023/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-soorya-festival-returns-for-summer-2023 Tue, 07 Mar 2023 20:16:06 +0000 https://ctmd.org/?p=5211 Get ready for a vibrant celebration of Sri Lankan culture at the Soorya 2023 Festival in Staten Island! This exciting event promises to showcase the rich traditions and customs of Sri Lanka through an array of cultural performances, music, food, and art. The festival will feature a lineup of talented performers, both local and international, …

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Get ready for a vibrant celebration of Sri Lankan culture at the Soorya 2023 Festival in Staten Island! This exciting event promises to showcase the rich traditions and customs of Sri Lanka through an array of cultural performances, music, food, and art.

The festival will feature a lineup of talented performers, both local and international, who will bring to life the diverse and colorful culture of Sri Lanka. You can expect to see traditional dance performances, drum beats and musical acts, that will transport you to the heart of Sri Lanka.

In addition to the live performances, there will be a variety of cultural exhibits, workshops, and culinary experiences that will allow you to immerse yourself in the beauty and richness of Sri Lankan culture. You can learn about the traditional arts and crafts of Sri Lanka, try your hand at some traditional dances, or indulge in the authentic flavors of Sri Lankan cuisine.

Don’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity to experience the vibrant culture of Sri Lanka at the Soorya 2023 Festival in Staten Island!

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FolkCOLOMBIA Escuela de Danza y Música returns for the Spring! https://ctmd.org/magazine/ctmd-news/fcespring2023/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fcespring2023 Tue, 07 Mar 2023 19:41:52 +0000 https://ctmd.org/?p=5198 FolkColombia Música y Danza will continue its spring programming beginning March 11. For this class cycle, they will have 3 classes offered weekly on Saturdays: Tambora Rhythm and Dance taught by Karla Florez, Colombian Andean Dances led by Ruben Mejia, and Caribbean and Pacific Coast rhythms and percussion by Nestor Gomez. Classes are held on …

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FolkColombia Música y Danza will continue its spring programming beginning March 11. For this class cycle, they will have 3 classes offered weekly on Saturdays: Tambora Rhythm and Dance taught by Karla Florez, Colombian Andean Dances led by Ruben Mejia, and Caribbean and Pacific Coast rhythms and percussion by Nestor Gomez.
Classes are held on Saturday mornings at the Community United Methodist Church in Jackson Heights, Queens For more information email: folkcolescuela@gmail.com or joshua.folkcolescuela@gmail.com. If you are interested in registering your child for FolkColombia classes send your name, your child’s name, and an email to joshua.folkcolescuela@gmail.com. FolkCOLOMBIA Escuela de Danza y Música cannot wait to meet you!
This past week, the Escuela held its open house on March 4th, celebrating Colombian music! This event showcased the vibrant and diverse musical traditions of Colombia, and gave students the chance to meet the staff, and FolkCOLOMBIA team before classes begin on March 11th. Check out some images from the event below!

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