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- Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley - Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco

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Spanning five weeks in multiple new venues,

this Festival speaks from the heart of our community.

MORE EVENTS

750 INSPIRING PERFORMING ARTISTS

NEW LOCATIONS:

Non

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13

013

San

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- Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley - Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco

JOIN US

Spanning five weeks in multiple new venues,

this Festival speaks from the heart of our community.

This year, we walk out on a limb towards realizing our dream of presenting the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival throughout the city and regionally.

We are honored to feature at the center of this year’s programs the re-emergence and return of the Ohlone, native people of San Francisco, who many erroneously assume to have been driven to extinction.

Ohlone people lived on these lands for many millennia before 1775 when the first European ship arrived. In 1776, life changed drastically when the Hispanic Empire established the Mission in San Francisco. Within six weeks, all of the Ohlone that were living in what is now San Francisco were decimated, scattered, or brought into service at the Mission. The approximately 20,000 Ohlone people who had been living in the Bay Area at this time were reduced to less than 2,000 by 1810.

In the Missions, the Ohlone were strictly prohibited from practicing their ceremonies, and many of their dances and songs were lost, as well as much of their language. Their numbers continued to decline and in 1834, Mexico ended the Mission system and most ofthe remaining native people in San Francisco, including ancestors of the Rumsen Ohlone Tribe, moved south to Carmel.

When the United States defeated Mexico in 1848 and took control of California, the Ohlone were never recognized by the government. At that time, the murdering of native people was common and the Rumsen Ohlone fled to Southern California, where they could more easily survive, working on ranches.

Today, the Rumsen Ohlone Tribe lives in and near Pomona, California, under the leadership of Tony Cerda. The 2,000 members continue to sustain their cultural traditions, and although the United States government refuses to acknowledge the existence of the Ohlone, we invite you to join with us in celebrating their return to San Francisco, sharing the joy and beauty of their culture.

Their return to San Francisco will include a ceremony and performance at San Francisco City Hall, a traditional healing ceremony at Yerba Buena Gardens —which was an ancestral Ohlone burial ground—and a culminating Festival appearance at Yerba Buena Center for the Art’s Novellus Theatre by the Rumsen Ohlone Tribe’s Humaya Singers and Dancers.

Join us for a very special Opening Ceremony and performance honoring the Rumsen Ohlone Tribe, including the presentation of the Festival’s annual Malonga Casquelourd Lifetime Achievement Award to the tribe’s Chairman Tony Cerda, a descendant of Head Chief Sumu, who visited the Spanish ship in 1775 off Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay.

Come take part in an historic event honoring the Ohlone, including performances, rituals, ceremonies, and craft presentations hosted by the Rumsen Ohlone Tribe and includingparticipatory opportunities for the public throughout the day. The Ohlone will be joined by members of other California tribes, including the Elem Indian Colony Tribe, Pit River Maidu Tribe, Winnemum Wintu Tribe, Shingle Springs Miwok Tribe, Stewarts Point Kashaya Band of Pomo, and Manchester Pomo Tribe.

You can find out more about the Ohlone at ohloneprofiles.org, the website of the Ohlone Profiles Project, an organization building support in San Francisco for an ongoing Ohlone cultural presence.

This year, we walk out on a limb towards realizing our dream of presenting the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival throughout the city and regionally.

We are honored to feature at the center of this year’s programs the re-emergence and return of the Ohlone, native people of San Francisco, who many erroneously assume to have been driven to extinction.

Ohlone people lived on these lands for many millennia before 1775 when the first European ship arrived. In 1776, life changed drastically when the Hispanic Empire established the Mission in San Francisco. Within six weeks, all of the Ohlone that were living in what is now San Francisco were decimated, scattered, or brought into service at the Mission. The approximately 20,000 Ohlone people who had been living in the Bay Area at this time were reduced to less than 2,000 by 1810.

In the Missions, the Ohlone were strictly prohibited from practicing their ceremonies, and many of their dances and songs were lost, as well as much of their language. Their numbers continued to decline and in 1834, Mexico ended the Mission system and most ofthe remaining native people in San Francisco, including ancestors of the Rumsen Ohlone Tribe, moved south to Carmel.

When the United States defeated Mexico in 1848 and took control of California, the Ohlone were never recognized by the government. At that time, the murdering of native people was common and the Rumsen Ohlone fled to Southern California, where they could more easily survive, working on ranches.

Today, the Rumsen Ohlone Tribe lives in and near Pomona, California, under the leadership of Tony Cerda. The 2,000 members continue to sustain their cultural traditions, and although the United States government refuses to acknowledge the existence of the Ohlone, we invite you to join with us in celebrating their return to San Francisco, sharing the joy and beauty of their culture.

Their return to San Francisco will include a ceremony and performance at San Francisco City Hall, a traditional healing ceremony at Yerba Buena Gardens —which was an ancestral Ohlone burial ground—and a culminating Festival appearance at Yerba Buena Center for the Art’s Novellus Theatre by the Rumsen Ohlone Tribe’s Humaya Singers and Dancers.

Join us for a very special Opening Ceremony and performance honoring the Rumsen Ohlone Tribe, including the presentation of the Festival’s annual Malonga Casquelourd Lifetime Achievement Award to the tribe’s Chairman Tony Cerda, a descendant of Head Chief Sumu, who visited the Spanish ship in 1775 off Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay.

Come take part in an historic event honoring the Ohlone, including performances, rituals, ceremonies, and craft presentations hosted by the Rumsen Ohlone Tribe and includingparticipatory opportunities for the public throughout the day. The Ohlone will be joined by members of other California tribes, including the Elem Indian Colony Tribe, Pit River Maidu Tribe, Winnemum Wintu Tribe, Shingle Springs Miwok Tribe, Stewarts Point Kashaya Band of Pomo, and Manchester Pomo Tribe.

You can find out more about the Ohlone at ohloneprofiles.org, the website of the Ohlone Profiles Project, an organization building support in San Francisco for an ongoing Ohlone cultural presence.

see

inside

Desiree Munoz and Tony Cerda of Rumsen Ohlone Tribe

WE PROUDLY FEATURE

THE RETURN OF THE

OHLONE

This year, we walk out on a limb towards realizing our dream of presenting the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival throughout the city and regionally.

While the Palace of Fine Arts Theater was our home for the past 23 years, the massive Doyle Drive construction project impacted our ability to continue to present the Festival there. The result was an opportunity to bring this year’s Festival to three new locations and share the incredible breadth of cultures with even more audiences via performances at Zellerbach Hall on the campus of UC Berkeley, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in downtown San Francisco, and San Francisco’s City Hall.

These new venues also provide us the opportunity to listen to our artists and our audiences, who wanted more depth and involvement with each other. This year’s Festival includes exciting events that utilize the strengths of the new venues while adding more participatory events to our “classic” Festival programming. We invite everyone to join in the dancing, at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum and Yerba Buena Gardens events.

Although much has changed this year, what remains constant is the joy and celebration that will touch thousands of lives, connecting people and building community.

May you be as inspired by the artists and their stories as we are,

and join us for an outstanding Festival season.

FESTIVAL SPONSORS NEEDEDWe are in the tremendously challenging position of still needing fundingto meet the expenses of creating and presenting this year’s Festival. Sponsorship and donation information is available online at www.sfethnicdancefestival.org.

Please call 415.474.3914 if you can assist us. Thank you!

We are honored to feature at the center of this year’s programs the re-emergence and return of the Ohlone, native people of San Francisco, who many erroneously assume to have been driven to extinction.

Ohlone people lived on these lands for many millennia before 1775 when the first European ship arrived. In 1776, life changed drastically when the Hispanic Empire established the Mission in San Francisco. Within six weeks, all of the Ohlone that were living in what is now San Francisco were decimated, scattered, or brought into service at the Mission. The approximately 20,000 Ohlone people who had been living in the Bay Area at this time were reduced to less than 2,000 by 1810.

In the Missions, the Ohlone were strictly prohibited from practicing their ceremonies, and many of their dances and songs were lost, as well as much of their language. Their numbers continued to decline and in 1834, Mexico ended the Mission system and most ofthe remaining native people in San Francisco, including ancestors of the Rumsen Ohlone Tribe, moved south to Carmel.

When the United States defeated Mexico in 1848 and took control of California, the Ohlone were never recognized by the government. At that time, the murdering of native people was common and the Rumsen Ohlone fled to Southern California, where they could more easily survive, working on ranches.

Today, the Rumsen Ohlone Tribe lives in and near Pomona, California, under the leadership of Tony Cerda. The 2,000 members continue to sustain their cultural traditions, and although the United States government refuses to acknowledge the existence of the Ohlone, we invite you to join with us in celebrating their return to San Francisco, sharing the joy and beauty of their culture.

Their return to San Francisco will include a ceremony and performance at San Francisco City Hall, a traditional healing ceremony at Yerba Buena Gardens —which was an ancestral Ohlone burial ground—and a culminating Festival appearance at Yerba Buena Center for the Art’s Novellus Theatre by the Rumsen Ohlone Tribe’s Humaya Singers and Dancers.

OPENING CEREMONIESSAN FRANCISCO CITY HALL ROTUNDAFriday, June 3 at 12pmJoin us for a very special Opening Ceremony and performance honoring the Rumsen Ohlone Tribe, including the presentation of the Festival’s annual Malonga Casquelourd Lifetime Achievement Award to the tribe’s Chairman Tony Cerda, a descendant of Head Chief Sumu, who visited the Spanish ship in 1775 off Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay.

CALIFORNIA INDIAN BIG TIME GATHERINGYERBA BUENA CENTERFOR THE ARTS FORUM AND GARDENSSaturday, June 18 from Noon-11pmCome take part in an historic event honoring the Ohlone, including performances, rituals, ceremonies, and craft presentations hosted by the Rumsen Ohlone Tribe and includingparticipatory opportunities for the public throughout the day. The Ohlone will be joined by members of other California tribes, including the Elem Indian Colony Tribe, Pit River Maidu Tribe, Winnemum Wintu Tribe, Shingle Springs Miwok Tribe, Stewarts Point Kashaya Band of Pomo, and Manchester Pomo Tribe.

This will be the first Big Time hosted by Ohlone on their land in over 200 years.

You can find out more about the Ohlone at ohloneprofiles.org, the website of the Ohlone Profiles Project, an organization building support in San Francisco for an ongoing Ohlone cultural presence.

The drums act as an extension of the voice in this dance encompassing drumming repertoire from the Fon-Ewe people of Benin and the Anlo-Ewe people of Ghana. Passed down from one generation to another for centuries, this powerful dance expresses themes of divinity and community well-being.

Dances and rituals from the Subanen people of Lapuyan, Zamboanga in the Philippines feature dancers leaping onto a sinalimba, a type of swing, which represents a mythic vessel used for journeying.

From the Balinese village of Ngis, flower petals cast from ceremonialbowls symbolize a blessing and a prayer offering, while flower petalstossed from the trains of skirts are a symbolic cleansing calling for health, safety, and peace throughout the world.

San Francisco’s second oldest dance company performs an intimate, barefoot milonga style of flamenco from Spain, with quiet, dream- like choreography utilizing the bata de cola (long train skirts), and exploring essential characteristics of identity and being.

With exciting percussive footwork and gorgeous swirling dresses, three dances influenced by Spanish, Caribbean, and African cultures express the exuberant zest for life in Veracruz, Mexico.

Choreographed specially for the Festival, this impressive and hopeful work features nearly 100 artists united by the inspiring legend of Ta‘aroa, the Tahitian god of creation, who broke out of Rumia, the shell, representing a breakthrough journey towards freedom, enlightenment, and abrighter future.

Synergy is created when bharatanatyam, a classical dance from Southern India,

meets taiko, Japanese drumming and dance,

resulting in a high-energy, lively interplay between

two ancient art forms.

With awe-inspiring finesse, eight female belly dancers pay tribute to the

elegance of the golden age of cinema. Tradition meets modernity with razor-sharp hip isolations, astonishing

balances, and energetic shimmies, creating

a flirtatious and deeply feminine experience.

Teruna Jaya (The Victorious Youth) is one of Bali’s most beloved dance masterpieces, inspired by the unparalleled energy and emotional expressiveness of youth, from playfully flirtatious and coy to powerful and fearless. Gamelan Sekar Jaya, an ensemble hailed as the finest outside of Indonesia, will present this piece just as performed in the village of Peliatan.

The Four Seasons of Edo is a tranquil and dignified dance elegantly expressed by women wearing ornate kimono and katsura (traditional wigs). The beauty and serenity of old Japan is subtly portrayed in the graceful movements of the dancers’ sensu (fans).

A flowing silk scarf represents a soul in this dance melding Korean and Chinese culture, clearing away evil spirits and assisting the newly departed to pass into paradise.

The diversity of Persian dance is represented by both folkloric and celebratory Qashqa’iand Nouveau Classical, giving rise to an imaginary world filled with magical creatures. The accompanying live music is as diverse, featuring the sorna, a double-reed wood-wind; the dahol, a large bass drum; and the santur, a 72-stringed hammered dulcimer.

A variety of dances are set to well-known and beloved folk melodies from Eastern Poland and the territories of current-day Belarus and Ukraine, influenced by the myriad of cultures that inhabit the area.

In their Festival debut, this English/American company offers two different dance forms: a traditional, athletic Morris and an English style longsword, combined with American-influenced stepping.

In a glorious pageant of color, women dressed in beautiful huipiles dance with

pineapples perched on their shoulders, representing the harvested fruit from the Papaluapan region of Oaxaca, Mexico.

A high-spirited suite of American dances features an energetic square dance and an intricate Appalachian clogging dance, with roots in English, Irish, German, Cherokee, and African American steps and formations.

Enclosed in a circle of elevated mountains is the magical world of Anáhuac. With the sounding of a conch shell and the fierce beating of drums, the Aztecs rise to take their place on the battle field in The Fight of Anáhuac.

In Gampang, a Filipino Subanen riverside ritual—accompanied by the agong, kulintang, durugan, sigitan, and tambol instruments—blessings are sought for good health, harmonious living, bountiful harvest, and protection for the community.

Presented by an intergenerational cast of renowned local and international music, dance, and martial artists, Spirit of Brazil takes us on a non-stop journey into the powerful athletic, musical, and ceremonial aspects of Afro- Brazilian capoeira, maculelê, and percussion.

An all-women embodiment of the masculine energy of Shango, the orisha (Yoruba deity) of thunder and lightning, presents a dance tradition brought to Cuba and Brazil by enslaved Africans, accompanied by sacred bata drums and songs of praise and prayer.

The Tausug’s serene nature is reflected in the ancient pangalay dance of the Southern Philippines’ Sulu Archipelago, characterized by fluid, eloquent movements amplified by janggay, elongated brass fingernails.

Mystical and transformative, this ancient Central Yup’ik Eskimo dance is from Kuskokwim Bay, Bering Sea, Alaska, and includes evocative, prayerful song accompanied by the graceful fluttering of the dancer’s spirit hands.

The evolution of the Roma people, and the way their culture has been influenced by their existence as a migrant population, is reflected in this dance incorporating traditional movements from Hungary and Transylvania (Romania) with energetic, contemporary styling.

The Korean Shaman Dance is a ritualistic cleansing of the spirit in which the shaman becomes an intermediary between the human and the spirit worlds, communicating with the aid of brass cymbals (bara), large fans, and bells streaming with brightlycolored ribbons.

Inspired by traditional rituals of the Gola people of Liberia, the powerful dance Breaking of the Poro Bush depicts boys being welcomed into their community as men after seven years spent in the forest learning about strength, endurance, and pride.

The crossroads of rural Ireland come to the stage with the Slip Jig, Irish Whooley, and more in an authentic Irish gathering, accompanied by fiddle, bodhran (Irish frame drum), accordion, banjo, and concertina.

Lord Krishna dances with gopikas, beautiful maidens, in this rich kuchipudi piece, a fascinating Indian dance form that combines the intricate, graceful movements of classical dance with narrative theatrical elements and vivid dramatic expression.

This suite of dances evokes the festivity of being in Plaza de Armas in Guadalajara, Mexico in the mid-19th century, incorporating many social dances and traditional sones of the time, played by the lovely musical ensemble Conjunto Perla.

A magnificent raks al sharki from an exquisite dancer, who skillfully interprets richly layered music through intricate isolations in this fast-paced belly dance rooted in the Egyptian cabaret tradition.

In Tahitian tradition, it is the responsibility of each generation to cherish and protect their beautiful environment, from the majestic mountain peaks to the white sand beaches and crystal blue waters. This message resonates in a joyful celebration created specially for the Festival.

The Benefit begins at 7pm and tickets are $125 and $50, based on seating location. $125 ticket includes a special hors d’oeuvres reception from top Bay Area restaurants from 6-7pm, and free entrance to the 9:30 Pasión dance party in the YBCA Forum.

The evening continues from 9:30–11pm in the YBCA Forum with a program titled Pasión, featuring sultry dance sure to turn up the heat, with performances by the following companies, and plenty of opportunities to get up and join the dancing late into the evening:

En La Fiesta Santiagueña presents a suite of lively dances from the province of Santiago del Estero, Argentina. These playful games of love in the norteño style highlight men’s footwork and the coy manipulation of the women’s skirts.

Supportthe Festival!

This contemporary Argentine tango is a dramatic exhibition duet, choreographed to Amorando—written by one of the great musicians of the Golden Age of tango, Osvaldo Pugliese—and featuring the characteristic senses of melancholy, longing, and power.

To this day, many flamenco singers refuse to perform La Petenera, believing it brings bad luck, but this flamenco dance, one of the oldest forms from Andalucia in Spain, offers an irresistible combination of slow, fluid movements with vigorous bursts of sharp poses and intense footwork.

Elegantly dressed men and women perform romantic, graceful movements to the sounds of a marinera band in this enticing dance from Peru.

The Festival’s producer, World Arts West, is a non-profit organization serving as the hub of the extraordinary ethnic dance community in the San Francisco Bay Area. We work with over 450 local dance companies, representing many thousands of artists who are sustaining important cultural traditions from around the world. We help artists share their cultural traditions while creating opportunities to access and learn about dance, increasing both appreciation and cultural literacy. Our work is credited for creating the most vibrant dance community in the world, while serving as the nation’s model for building bridges of cultural understanding between diverse communities.

The powerful beat of the Petwo drums creates a fiery mood on the eve of the Haitian revolution, one of the most important events in Haitian folklore and the impetus for the uprising of enslaved Africans and the defeat of powerful colonial forces.

Flamenco dancers celebrate the spirit of community as they sing and dance about walking the Road to Zaafra. The solid rhythms of this piece from the Extremadura region of Spain are rooted in Roma culture and enhanced on stage by the cajón, a wooden box drum.

Spring has sprung in this Han majority dance from China where the dancers’ fans flash like butterflies and their umbrellas twirl like brightly-colored flowers in a fresh breeze.

A feast of elegant motion expressing the many facets of love abound in this gorgeous suite of hula ‘auana, modern hula from Hawai‘i.

A vibrant dance paying tribute to the legacy left in Peru by women of African descent, the Afro-Peruvian zamacueca has spawned a multitude of dance styles throughout the Americas and has been a unifying force in Latin America, mixing African, indigenous, and Spanish cultures.

Staying true to classical Cambodian roots, Caressing Nostalgia pushes the boundaries of tradition by transforming classical gestures and movements to express a sentimental yearning for a treasured past. A cellist accompanies the dancer, playing original Western classical style music in combination with Khmer poetry in song.

This harvest dance from the Shona people of Zimbabwe teaches the importance of family and community through a cautionary tale. Men imbibe from clay pots, women carry out the day’s work while balancing seed-filled baskets on their heads, and ancestors are invited to visit and share their wisdom in a poly-rhythmic conversation.

From a delicate sword dance to the rhythmic Dance of the Finger Cymbals, seventeen female belly dancers perform three dynamic dances from renowned choreographers Jamila and Suhaila Salimpour.

Land and Liberty! A journey through northern Mexico during the revolution features corridos, poetic and narrative songs with political meaning, and powerful dances that capture the solidarity and bravery of that period.

MORE EVENTS

750 INSPIRING PERFORMING ARTISTS

NEW LOCATIONS:

Non

-Pro

fitO

rgan

izat

ion

U.S

. Pos

tage

PAID

Per

mit

No.

13

013

San

Fra

ncis

co, C

A

- Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley - Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco

JOIN US

Spanning five weeks in multiple new venues,

this Festival speaks from the heart of our community.

MORE EVENTS

750 INSPIRING PERFORMING ARTISTS

NEW LOCATIONS:

Non

-Pro

fitO

rgan

izat

ion

U.S

. Pos

tage

PAID

Per

mit

No.

13

013

San

Fra

ncis

co, C

A

- Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley - Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco

JOIN US

Spanning five weeks in multiple new venues,

this Festival speaks from the heart of our community.

MORE EVENTS

750 INSPIRING PERFORMING ARTISTS

NEW LOCATIONS:

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d A

rts

Wes

t /

Fort

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“What surely nobody could miss— the transcendent element— were the joy in performance and the intricate professional skill…” - Alastair Macaulay, New York Times

ORDER YOUR TICKETS NOWwww.sfethnicdancefestival.org

Dancers left to right:Yup’ik Eskimo Chuna McIntyre, Maricris Macabeo and Jet Tagle

of Parangal Dance Company, and Rumsen Ohlone Jessie Peralez

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SAN FRANCISCO

ETHNIC DANCE FESTIVAL

June 3–July 3, 2011

- Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley - Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco

JOIN US

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IC D

AN

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FE

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IVA

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Spanning five weeks in multiple new venues,

this Festival speaks from the heart of our community.