Performers Spotlight for 2022 |
Baharat Dance Company
The Baharat Dance Company provides entertaining and educational performances based on the authentic dances of the Middle East, North Africa and India. This includes not only belly dance, but also traditional folk styles and theatrical works. Baharat is quality entertainment spiced with the flavors of the Middle East. The group is based in Spokane, WA. Contact: [email protected] |
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Indian Youth Club of Spokane
The Indian Youth Club of Spokane is a group founded by Sowmya Surapaneni in 2019 to celebrate and share the culture of India. The Indian Youth Club of Spokane hosts cultural programs during the cultural festivals so the next generation youth can understand their culture and connect to their roots through storytelling, dance, music and drama. The Indian Youth club of Spokane provides opportunities for the youth of Spokane to improve their communication, leadership and organizational skills. The group also provides an opportunity to learn Bollywood dances. Free Bollywood dances are choreographed and offered to anyone at no charge by Sindhu Surapaneni, a 13 year old artist and cultural enthusiast. These performances offer a chance to learn more about the rich Indian cultural heritage by experiencing some of the traditional dances and cuisines. Contact: [email protected] Facebook: www.facebook.com/indianyouthclubofspokane |
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Filipino-American Northwest Assoc.
The Filipino-American Northwest Association dance group is comprised of twelve dancers. They present a variety of dances representing the Philippine culture. Some dances depict the lifestyle and daily work of the people living in various topographic areas in the agricultural country that is the Philippines. Other dances showcase their Spanish influenced folk dances. The Filipino-American Northwest Association’s mission is to promote the arts, our Filipino culture, our rich history and build a community supporting each other. Website: filamnw.com |
Dan Maher
Dan Maher is a seasoned performer, collector of songs, and master of sing-a-longs. He hosted Northwest Public Broadcasting's Inland Folk radio show for 38 years. Facebook: www.facebook.com/InlandFolk/ |
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Northwest Belly Dance Academy
The Northwest Belly Dance Academy brings the art of belly dance to the public through art, education and entertainment. They have developed new standards of achievement for the art form and redefined the spectrum in which belly dance is perceived. Their performances strive to moving their audience on an artistic level. They use belly dance as a medium of expression on the same level as a ballet company, an orchestra or an art gallery. By bringing belly dance to the Fall Folk Festival, using strong production elements such as choreography, set design, storytelling and more, they hope to inspire their audience. Website: northwestbellydance.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/northwestbellydance/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/northwestbellydance/ |
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Safar
Safar performs traditional Arabic music and is accompanied by two dancers. The band members include Roger Sumner on drums, Christopher Lamb on violin and tambourine, Todd Milne on bamboo flutes and ukulele, and Victor Noder on drums and keyboard. Facebook: www.facebook.com/safarmediterraneanfusion/ Bandcamp: safarbellydance.bandcamp.com/album/mawqid |
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Spokane Chinese Dance Group
The Spokane Chinese Dance Group is a quasi-professional, traditional Chinese dance group. The group stages performances rich in style and elegance. They play a central role in art performance and entertainment, including during traditional Chinese holidays. The group has staged more than 120 dances in the Spokane area. As the only Chinese group of artists in the Spokane area to exhibit and promote cultural diversity through traditional Chinese dancing, they perform a variety of Chinese folk dances in Spokane libraries, schools, senior centers and cultural hubs. |
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Patrice Webb
Patrice Webb is a singer songwriter from Sandpoint Idaho where she lives on a rambling 23-acre homestead with her husband and a family of four legged critters. Patrice’s songs tell of the lives of those whose stories make up the vibrant tapestry known as Americana. These songs are sung in a voice full of poignancy and humor and are described as “snapshots in time told on a bed of folk, country, swing and the blues.” Her music swings to the beat of 1940s western swing, lingers a bit on what might be called “barefoot gypsy jazz,” then veers off into honky-tonkin’ country and bluegrass, before it rests on the sweet sounds of quiet story telling folk or blues. Patrice has released three CDs, Photographs in 2011, Turning of the Page in 2014 and In My Sentimental Dreaming in 2019. Her songs have been receiving international airplay and have been receiving praise for their diversity and vivid storytelling. Her music is best described as Americana that are homemade with pride in a way that defines and speaks of a life of more than 50 years walking the back roads of a diverse musical tapestry known as Americana. patricewebb.com |
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