The fourth annual New Moon Festival,a celebration of Asian arts and culture, will be held Saturday,Sept. 26 from 1 p.m. to dusk at Dougall Park in Gibsons.
This all-day family event is a chance for everyone to experience the cultural gifts and heritage of Asia, and to come together and celebrate the presence of diverse Asian communities living on the Sunshine Coast.
This year's performance highlights include Chinese and contemporary dance by Moving Dragon and the Lorita Leung Dance Company, pan-Asian hiphop by Yugo, Japanese group drumming by Steveston Tera Taiko, bharata natyam (south indian dance) by Sujit Vaidya of Mandala Arts and Culture and Anusha Fernando of Shakti dance, and carnatic music by Naada-Diwani, featuring classical indian vocals, instrumentals and percussion.
Sunshine Coast artists include Fon Pawakunun (cultural co-ordinator for Welcome BC 2009) who will perform Thai dance; Tonbo Taiko, our local Japanese drumming group, and Tinfish, the classical guitar duo of Valerie Jackson and Paul Pinsonnault. Plus enjoy storytelling, opera, the traditional lion dance, an indian cooking demo and more.
Other activities include martial arts demonstrations, including karate, aikido, and tai chi, exhibits by local artists and artisans, and hands-on Asian crafts, such as lantern-making, for all ages. A variety of Asian food will be available for sale, including a hot dinner. The extremely popular lantern procession will commence just after dusk, followed by orginal shadow puppet theatre by Mind of a Snail.
Admission is $5 to $10 sliding scale for adults (children 12 and under are free). The festival is outdoors and will be held rain or shine, so come prepared for the weather.
For more info visit www.newmoonfestivalsociety.org.
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