Ohio Dominican Hosts International Arts Festisval

March 28, 2005

COLUMBUS, OHIO - Ohio Dominican University will celebrate the diversity of its campus with an International Arts Festival on Tuesday, March 29, 2005. The event, sponsored by the University and the American International Membership (AIM), will present international cultures through music and dance.

"We are very excited to continue this wonderful tradition at Ohio Dominican. We are expecting a great turnout of students, faculty, staff and alumni who will join together to celebrate and enhance awareness of the different cultures that represent our campus,” said International Office Assistant, Claudia DiSalvo.

The International Arts Festival will be held from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in LVC, bottom floor of Spangler Library, on Ohio Dominican’s main campus, 1216 Sunbury Road. The event is free and open to the public. Free parking is available in the Visitor’s Lot between Alumni Hall and Lyman Hall, west of Sunbury Road. Reservations are encouraged. For more information or to RSVP, contact international@ohiodominican.edu or 614.251.4646.

International dance troops and performance groups will express their country's culture through ODU’s International Arts Festival, featuring:

China Oriental Folk Dance Team: a non-profit organization dedicated to demonstrating the beauty of Chinese and Asian folk dances to the rest of the world. Most of the dances in this troop are from the Ohio State University campus.

Indian Classical Dance – Bharathnatyam: to be performed by Sowjanya Gowrisankaran, the Bharathnatyam is the classical dance form of the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The dance is a blend of hand gestures and movements with expressions. Gowrisankaran began learning the dance at 12 year old, in India, and is now pursuing a Master degree in Vision Science at OSU.

The Olentangy Motley Morris: performed by Bill Morris and company, the dance is a traditional form of English ritual dancing related in many ways to English Country Dancing. Some past performances include the Ohio State Renaissance Faire and the UN International Festival.

San Giovanni Dancers: nearly a five-year-old group, these dancers regularly perform at the Columbus Italian Festival, have participated several times at the UN Columbus International Festival, Columbus Culture Fest and numerous other events.

The Ohio Dominican Dance Club: will be performing a Salsa ensemble and a break dancing demonstration.

Irish Dancers: performing both soft-shoe and hard-shoe routines, this group’s entire performance, from costumes to dance movements, commemorates Ireland’s rich heritage.

Worldwide Dancers: performed by Bill Stewart and Company, the dances of this troop are done as they were in the time of Poncho Villa. For this event, Worldwide Dancers will be performing the Jarabe Tapatio, also known as “The Mexican Hat Dance”.

The festival is one event of many during ODU’s annual International Week, March 28-April 2, which is aimed at increasing awareness and celebrating different cultures.