6-20-2003 Savannah Asian Festival News

Asian Festival matures into a major event as it hits its 8th anniversary

By Georgeanna Smith
Savannah Morning News

Seven years ago, participants at the first Savannah Asian Festival barely filled the porch of the Savannah Civic Center.

This year, they plan to pack the building's arena.

"I expect we'll get, throughout the course of the day, probably around 8,000 to 10,000 (people)," said Lara Hadley, marketing coordinator for the sponsor, the city's Department of Cultural Affairs/Leisure Services Bureau.

The festival, which represents area residents from China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, the Polynesian Islands, Thailand, Vietnam and other Asian countries, will be held from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday.

It will be a full day of family-friendly education and entertainment, Hadley said. Activities will include food booths selling Asian delicacies and cultural booths with demonstrations. Also, there will be art for sale, hands-on workshops in Chinese calligraphy and painting, Henna skin decoration, Korean games, Filipino bamboo pole dancing and performances of Asian dance, music and martial arts.

The community here is incredibly supportive of the festival, Hadley said, so much so that it has grown greatly in recent years.
 

"We have a lot of people calling from around the country We get people who come from anywhere," she said. "I think that it's gaining momentum. We're one of the largest and most successful Asian festivals in the area."

That growth means not only national interest, but also national talent. When members of Savannah's Asian community fed their countries' traditional foods to city officials last week the buzz among the chefs was all about Folklorico Filipino Dance Company and musician Shafaatullah Khan, national and international performers who will appear at the festival this year.

Shafaatullah Khan, master of three traditional Indian instruments, the sitar, surbahar and tabla, has been a superstar in the world of Indian Classical since age 11, when he debuted at the Kingslynn festival in England.

Khan has performed in some of the world's greatest venues, including the Acropolis in Athens, Royal Albert Hall in London, The Great Hall of the Kremlin in Moscow, Lincoln Center in New York, Suntory Hall in Tokyo and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.

Khan is also an accomplished recording artist and has released albums on Nimbus, Edelweiss, EMI, Lyrichord and Music of the World labels. In recent recordings he performed on the sitar or surbahar
and accompanied himself on the tabla, a first in Indian Classical music.

As if that weren't enough star power, Khan, who will perform at 2:15 p.m., will be preceded by the Folklorico Filipino Dance Company of New York, at 1 p.m.

The company, founded in 1973, has consistently asserted itself as one of the top Filipino dance groups in the nation.

Its performance will include many different dances, said Rommel Milanez, vice president of the group. He explained that the styles are drawn from the Muslim and Spanish heritage of the islands, along with the indigenous styles preferred in the north and south. The group will present royal and village dances alike, and will end its set with a typical village celebration, Milanez said.

Aurora Stewart, who is part of a small local Filipino dance group that performs at schools, hospitals, nursing homes and cultural events, is glad that the professional dance troupe is joining the festival.

"I want to see the group from New York, the (Folklorico Filipino)," she said. "I'm excited for that."

"Yes, they are supposed to be very good," agreed Sunny Rose, another member of the local dance group, called Kaibigan.

Both women are originally from the Philippine Islands, and said that they enjoy having a bit of home in Savannah each year.

Maria Lacanilao has performed and choreographed Filipino dances for the festival with the Filipino American Association of Coastal Georgia in past years. She is anxious to see Folklorico Filipino perform one dance in particular.

"I really want to see the performance of the bamboo dance, the Tinikling," she said.

Hadley said that the professional performances would not be possible without the support of the Filipino community.

"Getting a group from New York to come in is just amazing. Mostly the Filipino American Association of Coastal Georgia (is) going to host them," Hadley said. "They're paying for their travel; they're feeding them. They just really want to bring the dancers here We wouldn't be able to have them if it wasn't for the Filipino community."

Lacanilao, who will be teaching the Tinikling dance at a workshop from 2-3 p.m., says that the addition of a professional group allows her to work more closely with those who attend the festival.

"Last year I was the choreographer. But then this year they are giving me a break and bringing the professionals," she said. " On Saturday I will demonstrate, and if you come I will teach you the dance."

She explained that teaching the Savannah community is part of why the festival is so important.

"(We want to educate) the people. (For them) to know the Asian people, Asian countries," Lacanilao said. "Just to be, you know, educated a bit about our culture."

Ruby Gould, originally from the village of Hong-Seond in South Korea, said that the event also provides an opportunity for fellowship among the Asian communities.

"(We) normally wouldn't get to see everybody. Everyone just gets so busy," she said. "But this is a time that a lot of people show up. And a relationship is built between the different communities."

Entertainment Schedule:

11-11:15 a.m. - Opening Ceremonies: Parade of Countries
11:30 a.m.-noon - Lee's Korean Taekwondo
12:15-12:45 p.m. - Chinese-American Cultural Performing Group
1-1:45 p.m. - Folklorico Filipino Dance Company of New York
2:15-3 p.m. - Shafaatullah Khan
3:15-3:45 p.m. - Korean Fan Dance
4-4:20 p.m. - Indian Classical Odissi Dance
4:30-4:50 p.m. - Vietnamese Dance Troupe
4:50-5:10 p.m. - Thailand Dance Group

Workshop rooms:

(Rooms adjacent to Arena)
India Association, Saree-Draping & Rangoli: noon- 1 p.m.
Korean Card Games, Tea Ceremony, jukey chegi: 1-2 p.m.
Filipino Bamboo Dance (Tinikling): 2-3 p.m.
Early Chinese Immigrants to Savannah: 2-3 p.m.
Chinese Calligraphy, Yun-Ching Lin: 3-4 p.m.
Ching Levy Calligraphy (at Cultural Booth)
Pakistani Henna (in roped area in arena)

Cultural Booths:

(Exhibition Hall, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.)
Chinese Benevolent Association
Ching Levy Chinese Calligraphy and Painting
East-West Gallery
Filipino-American Association
India Association
Kaibigan (Philippines)
Korean Association
Korea, Master Lee's Taekwondo
Pakistan Association
Silver & More from Nepal
Thailand Association
Tzu-Chi Foundation (Taiwan)

Food Booths:

(Arena, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.)
Aree's Stirfry (China)
Downtown Cafe at Main (India)
Filipino-American Association
Kaibigan (Philippines)
Korean Association
Pakistani Association
Sushi Zen (Japan)
Taste of India
Thailand Representatives
Tzu-Chi Foundation (Taiwan)
Wok-Inn (Chinese)