EVENTS

Folkmoot to highlight traditional cultures through performance

Josh Conner
Times-News Correspondent
Performances on July 25 at Blue Ridge Community College will feature all of the traditional dancers and musicians, hailing from eight countries, that are participating in the region-wide Folkmoot Festival. Dancers from Mexico perform at the 2017 festival. [PHOTO PROVIDED]

Residents of Western North Carolina will have the chance to experience traditional cultures from around the world this summer, with live dance and music right here in the mountains. The annual region-wide Folkmoot festival, now in its 35th year, is returning with a colorful group of new countries and cultures on the festival roster.

While the Folkmoot organization actually holds events year-round, its popular 10-day summer festival—taking place July 19-29 — draws the largest crowds. Performances are scheduled in Henderson County for 2-4 p.m. July 25 at Blue Ridge Community College.

“I think people come to Folkmoot and realize we are the same, and we change hearts and minds,” said Folkmoot Executive Director Angeline Schwab. “We have the same desires for security and love. Everyone around the world has that.”

While Waynesville is the official HQ for the festival, Folkmoot brings performances to audiences in Clyde, Lake Junaluska, Maggie Valley, Canton, Cherokee, Franklin, Hickory, Asheville and Flat Rock.

At the Blue Ridge Community College performances, audience members will have the opportunity to meet dancers after the shows, according to Schwab. All eight nations and cultures will be represented at that time, she added, including Ghana, Italy, Mexico, Czech Republic, Venezuela, Northern Cyprus, Thailand, Jamaica, Appalachia and Cherokee.

There will also be two other showings, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. July 27 at Asheville’s Diana Wortham Theater, with groups from all eight countries performing.

Ambassadors

Folkmoot has hosted thousands of performers from nearly 150 countries over the past three and a half decades. These performers are often young and serve as cultural ambassadors for their country. The 2018 festival will spotlight

Nearly 250 dancers will participate, to perform a wide array of dance styles and music, including regional cultural groups, like traditional Appalachian dancers. This year, the festival will also incorporate traditional food and beverages into the cultural mix, and there will be more activities to get audiences involved, like dance lessons and sing-alongs.

While the festival was initially held solely in Haywood County, Schwab said that adding events in multiple locations has better connected people. It’s her fourth festival with Folkmoot, and she hopes that with this cultural experience, audiences will learn something new.

“We wanted to have a regional impact and we hoped to have bigger audiences by traveling,” Schwab said. “We have supporters throughout the region. A lot of times people that are international come to our event, and it’s an opportunity to connect with their own cultures.”

Folkmoot—ranked as one of the top festivals in North Carolina, will get under way with a gala under the stars at 7 p.m. July 19. The event will kick off the festival in Waynesville with a fundraiser for friends, sponsors and guests. The festival schedule includes many different performances, as well as Camp Folkmoot, taking place July 20. The one-day camp is open to children who are interested in learning more about the world around them.

Performers

A few of the featured groups this year include Lampang Kalayanee School, a youth group from Thailand that will perform dances from history and old tales. Kasava, a group from the Czech Republic, will combine live music with drama and dance to preserve folk materials from their country.

Fiesta Mexicana Ballet Folklorico will present dances with their folk roots that include full color, mysticism, joy and art. Also present will be Nkrabea Dance Ensemble, Jamaican educators and Sentir Venezolano.

Representing the local Appalachian region will be Eastern Band Cherokee Indians as well as bluegrass musicians and clogging groups.

Schwab said that each year the committee hopes to include new countries into the mix to create a different experience for attendees. When deciding on which countries to invite for the festival, she said that her group considers many factors.

“One of our rules is to never invite countries that touch one another because their folklore is often similar,” said Schwab. “We work to invite people from different continents that contrast each other.

“We also think about what’s going on in the world, so in the past if there was a conflict between two countries, we would bring them together so we could make peace.”

Folkmoot has a mission to reach many different groups throughout the western region of the state and beyond. While events are planned for all age groups, in this age of wired-in technology Schwab said it’s harder for Folkmoot to attract younger people. Schwab and her team hope to attract crowds similar to previous years for this summer’s festival.

“We have worked to create shows more attractive to youth and also families,” Schwab said. “We are also working to make our shows and events more participatory rather than passive, so you aren’t just buying a ticket and watching a show. It differentiates the experience for everyone.”

The final opportunity to catch the 2018 festival will be at the candlelight closing on July 29 in the Stuart Auditorium at Lake Junaluska. All performing groups will be present for this conclusion of the festival.

To view a festival schedule, a full list of performers and ticket prices, visit folkmoot.org.