S.F. Ethnic Dance Festival set to celebrate 40th festive year
West African drum rhythms. Bold flamenco inspired by Cadíz. An Alaskan Yuk’ip Eskimo dance not seen in public for 200 years. A 10year-old phenom in South Indian kuchipudi. Spanning all these and much more, the 40th annual San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival is an artistic trip around the world, in two celebratory programs that run over two weekends — Saturday and Sunday, July 14-15 and 21-22 — at the War Memorial Opera House.
Over four decades, the world-renowned festival has shone a spotlight on hundreds of artists, most Bay Area-based and all dedicated to integrity and innovation. This year brings performances, including nine world premieres, by two dozen companies with roots in 17 cultures on five continents.
From Mexican and Philippine folkloric to Cambodian classical and Bolivian tarabuco, the regalia is dazzling, the music is thrilling and the artists leave it all on the stage. Some pieces are devoted to heritage, others to pageantry; some use traditional movement and lyrics to speak passionately to the current zeitgeist; while others elevate your spirit with pure joy.
More than anything, the festival leaves you feeling united with the 3,000 other cheering people in the Opera House.
Ticket holders and passersby can enjoy the festive preshow entertainment on the Opera House front steps: Te Pura O Te Rahuraa performs Tahitian aparima on the first weekend, and Chinyakare Ensemble presents traditional Zimbabwean dance on the second run.