National Museum of the American Indian Hosts Multicultural Festival as Part of Inaugural Events

The Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian will host "Out of Many: A Multicultural Festival of Music, Dance and Story" from Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009, through Monday, Jan. 19, 2009. The three-day program to commemorate the inauguration of Barack Obama will feature daily performances of live music, dancing and storytelling in the museum from a variety of cultural traditions. Performances will be held from 10:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and are free and open to the public. Forty groups will appear, including:

• Alma Boliviana, who perform traditional dances of the Andes
• Cambodian Buddhist Society, who perform traditional music and dance from Cambodia
• Washington Chinese Youth Club, who will perform traditional Lion dances
• KanKouran, West African Dancers from Senegal
• Gayle Ross, Cherokee storyteller
• Mariachi Los Amigos, a mariachi ensemble
• Halau O 'Aulani, who will perform Native Hawaiian music and dance
• Narrowbacks, who will perform traditional Irish music accompanied by championship Irish step dancers
• New Klezmer Quintet, which features Jewish traditional/jazz/fusion music
• The Plateros, a Navajo blues and rock band
• The Wild Zappers, a hearing-impaired dance troupe
• Yaaw Tei Yi Dancers, a Tlingit group from Juneau, Alaska

Photo: Hawaiian dance group, Halau Ho'omau
© Katherine Fogden / NMAI