Gilded Serpent presents...
The San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival 2007
Weekend Two
Palace of Fine Arts
June 15, 2007
Photos by Susie Poulelis
Performance descriptions are taken by permission from the World Arts West Website
1 more weekend yet to come!

Arenas Dance Company Ferocious energy abounds in an Afro-Cuban dance evoking Oya, the powerful orisha from the Yoruba tradition known as the female warrior connected to wind and fire, who creates storms and can invoke change by stirring the air with her iruke, or horsetail.

China Dance School and Theatre/Crystal Lee In this popular Chinese classical story of heroine Mu Gui Ying, from the Northern Song Dynasty of China, a powerful solo performance depicts the tale of transformation from young woman to legendary female general.

El Tunante A rare chance to watch couples dancing with the woman taking the lead: Sensual marinera from Peru—a whirl of blinks, romance, and sexy flirtations, capturing magical moments of love and possibilities.

Hearan Chung Spirits flow through the streaming white paper of the Shin Kal in this riveting and transformative Korean dance based on Shamanistic rituals that mourn the dead and bridge the soul’s peaceful arrival into the next world.

Barbary Coast Cloggers A medley of boisterous Appalachian clogging captures the spirit of early American settlers’ camaraderie and showmanship with a confluence of movements from the Irish jig, to English country-dances, to African steps and rhythms.

Kantuta Ballet Folkorico de Bolivia The greatest attraction at Bolivia’s carnival, this vibrant dance originating in the mountain mines of Potosi depicts the tale of La Diablada in a story of good versus evil, where Arch Angel Miguel triumphs over Lucifer.

Ensambles Ballet Folklorico de San Francisco Heartfelt and exuberant Michoacan dance from Mexico is performed to poetic sones conveying three passionate stories of confession, the struggle for freedom, and daily life after the Spanish conques

Tara Catherine Pandeya Replete with Soviet style showmanship, the Shodiana signature women’s dance from Tajikistan is performed to dorya drums, symbolic of the moon and the cosmic cycles of life. [ed note- student of Sharlyn Sawyer!]

Charya Burt Cambodian Dance Company A contemporary classical Cambodian dance with a particularly tender human theme was inspired by Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie and is set to a combination of traditional and modern/transposed music.

Abhinaya Dance Company Originating in the temples of South India, this Bharatanatyam dance is based on the ancient poetry of Kalidasa and describes Varsha, the rainy season, through movements expressing thunder, lightening, rain and rainbows.

Te Mana o Te Ra In stunning costumes and intricate headdresses, performing the Tahitian legend of Hina, the Moon Goddess, conveying her themes of eternal love, mystic beauty, and strength, this dance is accompanied by Drums of Polynesia.

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Ready for more?
6-14-07 The San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, Weekend One, photos by Lynette Harris
Chinese Dragon, Kathak, Flamenco, Philipines, Bali, Afro-Peru, Mexico, Tahitian, and Shabnam does "Belly Dance Fusion"

11-9-06 The Ethnic Dance Festival 2006 Photos by Susie Poulelis Weekend One – "Time" June 10, 2006
Palace of Fine Arts, San Fransico, CA

6-19-04 San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival Photo Teaser June 12-27 2004 Palace of Fine Arts photos by Susie Poulelis
Taken last night, you can still see this show tonight and tomorrow and see more next weekend!

7-9-03 Photos of the 25th Anniversary San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival photos by Susie Poulelis
Weekend 3, held June 21 & 22, 2003 presented by World Arts West at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, California

12-5-06 The Ethics of Fusion by Naajidah
If the culture that you’re borrowing your moves from objects to your fusion, does it matter? Are you being respectful or exploitative if you borrow steps from a culture that doesn’t want their music and dance used that way?

1-17-07 Western Dancer's Guilt, a Respnse to Naajidah, by Miles Copeland
People have occasionally suggested Arabs would be “horrified” by the inclusion of the Tribal style in our show but I can tell you that this style is extremely popular with Middle Easterners who come to our show.

6-19-07 My DVD Shoot Adventure, A Bellyqueen & Peko Collaboration by Elisheva
I thought I had left my bad luck mantra at the airport, but I soon found that it followed me right through the studio door.

6-15-07 Seeking Sol Bloom by Kharmine
Unbeknownst to Bloom, the troupe had a hired Algerian guide, “a giant Kablye,” who had lived in London and was able to chide Bloom sternly in an accent “normally heard in an English drawing room."