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.
