The Koh Pich Theatre at Diamond Island Phnom Penh was filled with colors as the Brigham Young University International Folk Dance Ensemble brought the audience of more or less 2,000 people, mostly, Cambodians to a 90 minute magical journey of music and dance through the heartbeat of the world’s cultures.
Indeed it was fun and a success!
It raised a net amount of $12,000 and was turned over to Nokor Tep Women's Hospital to be used for the outfitting needs of the hospital.
Huge heartfelt thanks to all the sponsors, viewers and most especially to the performers!
Journey, a voyage through the heartbeat of the world’s cultures.
Any wanderer will tell you that there is something magical about discovering new places and participating in timeless traditions. There's no need to wait, you can discover the magic now. Join the International Folk Dance Ensemble for an adventure that will entertain your wanderlust through an evening of dance and music.
Journey is a 90-minute voyage of dance and music through the heartbeat of the world’s cultures. In this show, you will see dances ranging from Irish hard shoe, 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 Koh Pich, Diamond Island Phnom Penh, Cambodia on May 13, 2017 at 7:00pm. This time, their performance is for the benefit of Nokor Tep Women's Hospital - the first hospital in Cambodia that will diagnose and treat poor Cambodian Women who have cancers and gynecological diseases.
The Group
This year, Folk Dance Ensemble enthusiastically celebrates their 60th anniversary as a performing arts group for Brigham Young University. Throughout the past 60 years, the ensemble has travelled 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 conjunction 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—and, in some venues, often is—a show unto itself.
The ensemble most recently toured throughout the Nauvoo, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin areas, where they performed a diverse repertoire and engaged in various community outreach programs. In 2015the ensemble toured throughout Europe where they performed in three international folk festivals; The International Folklore Festival in Karlovac, Croatia; ‘Ciudad de Burgos’ International Folkloric Festival in Burgos, Spain; and Extremadura Festival in Badajoz, Spain.
Courtney Austrian of the US State Department in the Ukraine says of the performance, “The dancers and the musicians were absolutely magnificent. Everyone in my office who was lucky enough to attend the performance has been talking today about the energy, enthusiasm, and sheer talent that was on stage last night. The overwhelming feeling here is that it’s extremely unfortunate that there could only be one performance!”
“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.”
Since 1964, International Folk Dance Ensemble has toured all over the world, representing cultures around the world. The group has become internationally famous at the world’s most prominent folk dance festivals where they perform with many of the best dance companies from throughout the world. The group has also represented both BYU and the US as the American Folk Dance Ensemble in the world’s largest folk festivals. For their upcoming 2017 tour, International Folk Dance Ensemble is excited to enliven the stages of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
