Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/8603
THE APRIL TODO LIST A Cultural Celebration: Soka University's 9th Annual International Festival MAY 1 stz BY>>CANDICE YACONO W hat do Vietnamese martial artists, flamenco dancers, octogenarian cellists, taiko drummers, salsa dancers and South County belly dancers have in common? Soka University's 9th Annual International Festival on May 1st from 10:30 – 5:30 pm, will provide the setting to bring a remarkable variety of performers to Orange County. This free International Festival on Soka's 103-acre Aliso Viejo campus will feature 700 performers on three stages around Peace Lake, which will also host more than 150 non-profit and business exhibitors, international food and art vendors, ceramics demonstrations and sales, and children's games and crafts. The children's Adventure Land will include a bounce house, super slide, and a dress -up area. Among the wide range of performers will be Bolivian musicians, local and regional dance teams, martial arts schools, Indian traditional dancers, modern interpretive dancers, folklorico groups, Hawaiian dancers, taiko drummers, the Laguna Woods Village Symphony and members of Saddleback College Emeritus Symphony Orchestra. From points south, performers include the San Diego North and South Chorus, along with the San Diego SGI Jazz Band. The Hip hop group Rhythmission, comprised of Soka University students, will perform to the latest grooves, along with Spirit Soul and Friends and a "musical peace troupe" from Hawaii that uses live yoga dancers to perform songs with uplifting messages performed by the roving musicians. The When Pigs Fly! Band will bring levity to the day. Adding to the entertainment diversity will be the J.J. and the Habibis Belly Dance Group, led by Jheri St. James, a longtime Laguna Beach resident who has taught and practiced belly dance for decades. Students who go on to her more advanced classes are invited to become members of her troupe, which performs throughout Southern California at events ranging from Renaissance faires to private gatherings. Reflecting its global theme, traditional performing artists from throughout Central and South America (as well as Spain) will be on hand, including salsa performers Sualseros of SUA, Susana Elena Classical Spanish & Flamenco Dance, and other organizations. For a unique musical combination, dance troupe Son Merekumbe, founded by a Colombian dancer who learned from both folkloric and African influences, brings together African and South American forms. Their performances have been dubbed as "Afro Latino," and today the organization presents traditions from five different countries. Martial arts also will be a performing theme throughout the day, and will include shows by the US Blackbelt Academy and Vovinam-Viet Vo Dao Vietnamese Martial Art. Adding to the variety of entertainment and curiosity factor, will be presentations about Vietnamese writing characters by the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association. Soka University, which opened its Aliso Viejo campus in 2001, is a private, nonprofit, four-year liberal arts college with concentrations in environmental studies, humanities, international studies and social and behavioral sciences. Soka welcomes top students from around the world of all nationalities and beliefs. The average GPA of entering students is 3.8. With a strong international emphasis, the 103-acre campus is both an attractive and educationally friendly home to its students who all study a non- native language and complete a semester of study- abroad education in their junior year. With a 9:1 student/faculty ratio and an average class size of 13 students, the school provides a strong academic program. It's set in an idyllic campus tucked into a verdant area of Aliso Viejo that makes it an ideal host for events like the International Festival. The event is free, but parking on campus is $10 and attendees are encouraged to carpool. For a map and directions or more information, visit www.soka. edu/festival.