BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble – JOURNEY-

BYU Folk Dance Ensemble
March 10
Doors Open at 6:15 PM
Show starts at 6:45 PM

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Bledsoe & Bledsoe CPA, Eldredge Furniture, Eric N Dahle, Skeen Farms, Acahand Foundation.

*UPDATE*
Ballet Folklorico Mexico Lindo Idaho performs traditional Mexican folk dances in and around the Treasure Valley and will be making a special visit to FRCC soon! This dance group is a community-based group located downtown Nampa, Idaho. The group has grown to 40 incredible and talented dancers ranging in age from six years old to adults. On March 10th, they will be bringing 9 of those dancers to perform at 6:45 prior to the BYU Folk Dance taking the stage. Come dive into a night of rich heritage with us!

International Folk Dance Ensemble takes one on a journey…

There is something magical about discovering, experiencing, and celebrating cultures and their traditions. Through folk dance and music, International Folk Dance Ensemble brings that exploring fun onto the stage in their 90-minute show, Journey. Performing dances and music from around the world, this ensemble fills the stage with colors, rhythm, and history. Journey is a voyage of dance and music through the heartbeat of the world’s cultures. In this show, you will see dances ranging from Irish hard shoes, American clogging, Ukrainian Hopak, exotic Indian dances, and much more. It is a kaleidoscope of furious footwork, pulsing rhythms, live music, and authentic costumes
radiating the magic from across the globe.

So throw off the bowlines and catch the wind in your sails as our companion on this journey. Join us at Four Rivers Cultural Center on March 10th at 7 pm.

International Folk Dance Ensemble has recently celebrated its 60th anniversary as a performing artsgroup. Throughout the past 60 years, the ensemble has traveled throughout the world performing traditional dances selected from a wide variety of cultures. The group continues to dazzle audiences with their eye-catching costumes, diverse dance selections, and captivating performances. In conjuction with their lively routines, the dance ensemble is accompanied by the highly versatile and highly acclaimed acoustic band Mountain Strings. These musicians provide live, engaging music that is every bit the dancers’ equal in complexity, skill, and professionalism. The musicians demonstrate such extraordinary talent that their performance could be a show unto itself.

Since 1964, International Folk Dance Ensemble has toured all over the world, representing many cultures. The group has become internationally famous at the world’s most prominent folk dance festivals, where they perform with many of the best international dance companies. The group has represented both BYU and the U.S. as the American Folk Dance Ensemble in folk festivals.

The ensemble traveled to Belgium, France, and Poland in the summer of 2018. They performed for audiences in France and performed in the Hello!Schoten folk festival in Schoten, Belgium and the Eurofolk festival in Zamość, Poland. In 2017, the group went to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand for their extended tour. The group had the opportunity to help many causes during their tour by donating the proceeds of their
show and also worked with other universities where they taught and learned folk dances. The group also performed in The International Folklore Festival in Karlovac, Croatia, ‘Ciudad de Burgos’ International Folkloric Festival in Burgos, Spain, and the Extremadura Festivals in Bandajoz, Spain during their 2015 extended tour to Europe.

“A touring production of this size and scope is a rare treasure among academic institutions,” says Jeanette Geslison, artistic director of the ensemble. “The time, talent, and resources that go into making this possible are immense. The student performers are enriched as they are immersed in cultural exchange, life-long learning, and service in addition to their professional academic careers.”