2025 Featured Performers, Stage & Dance Lesson Schedules

Our Featured Artists

Academy of Flamenco Arts • Ana Ruiz • Armin Hasanagic & Friends • Bluegrass Filipino Cultural Dance Troupe • Bollywood Dance • Burmese Community of Bowling Green • CAREUSTZ • Colin Grant-Adams • Jeff Manning • Luz de Mexico • Nashville Chinese Culture Club • Mbira dza Maungira • Red River Fiddlers • Roads to Home • Roux du Bayou Cajun Zydeco Band • Safiya & Troupe Banat Nawaar of Arabesque World Dance • Seefari • SoKY Dance Arts of Bowling Green • Sreshta Meduri, SLB KK • Teine O Samoa • Tropic Society • Tuatha Dea • United ZO Organization OF Kentucky (UZO-KY) • WKU Chinese Music Club • Yeli Ensemble • Zomi Community

Stage Hosting & Management

Sadie Jeannette Host Diversity Stage

Armin Hasanagic

Armin Hasanagic Host Heritage Stage

Caitlin Smyth Host World Stage

Kelsy Tullis Host Dance Lessons

Dance Lesson Schedule

Lessons & participating instructors

La Gala Ballroom (Indoor) [host: Kelsey Tullis]

  • 10:00-10:30 SoKY Dance Arts of Bowling Green – Latin Ballroom
  • 10:45-11:15 Teine O Samoa – American Samoan
  • 11:30-12:00 Safiya & Troupe Banat Nawaar of Arabesque World Dance – Bellydance
  • 12:15-12:45 Mbira dza Maungira – Dance of Shona people of Zimbabwe
  • 1:00-1:30 SoKY Dance Arts of Bowling Green – Latin Ballroom
  • 1:45-2:15 Ana Ruiz – Cuban Cultural Dance
  • 2:30-3:00 Safiya & Troupe Banat Nawaar of Arabesque World Dance – Bellydance
  • 3:15-3:45 Teine O Samoa – American Samoan
  • 4:00-4:30 Ana Ruiz – Cuban Cultural Dance

Stage Schedules

Diversity Stage [host: Sadie Jeannette/Lindsey Production Group]

  • 8:45-9:00 Opening CeremonyAwards, recognition for K-12 Poster Contest winners, T-Shirt Designer, BG International Cup soccer tournament awards, Introduction of Presenting Sponsor – Service One Credit Union
  • 9:00-10:25 Roux du Bayou – Cajun
  • 10:30-10:45 Sreshta Meduri, SLB KK – Indian Kuchipudi Dance
  • 10:47-10:57 Luz de Mexico – Traditional Mexican Dance
  • 11:10-12:15 Tuatha Dea – Tribal Celtic
  • 12:30-1:15 Yeli Ensemble – Traditional Music & Dance from the Mali Empire
  • 1:30-2:50 Seefari Reggae – Reggae
  • 3:00-3:05 Teine O Samoa – Samoan Dance
  • 3:10-3:45 Academy of Flamenco Arts – Spanish Flamenco
  • 3:50-4:20 Safiya & Troupe Banat Nawaar of Arabesque World Dance – Traditional & Modern Dances of Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey & Saudi Arabia
  • 4:25-4:35 Zomi Community – Zomi Music & Dance
  • 4:45-6:00 Tuatha Dea – Tribal Celtic

Heritage Stage [host: Armin Hasanagic/Lindsey Production Group]

  • 9:00-10:30 Tropic Society – Caribbean/Brazilian Fusion
  • 10:35-11:35 Red River Fiddlers – Celtic
  • 11:40-12:55 Armin Hasanagic & Friends – Bosnian Folk
  • 1:00-1:05 Bluegrass Filipino Cultural Dance Troupe – Dance from the Philippines
  • 1:10-1:55 CAREUSTZ – African / Afghanistan Dance Fusion
  • 2:00-2:20 Jeff Manning – Bagpipes
  • 2:25-2:35 United Zo Organization of Kentucky (UZO-KY) – Zo Cultural Dances
  • 2:40-3:00 WKU Chinese Music Club – Traditional Chinese instruments
  • 3:10-4:25 San Rafael Band – Latin/Rock/Jazz Fusion
  • 4:35-5:10 Academy of Flamenco Arts – Spanish Flamenco
  • 5:20-6:00 Yeli Ensemble – Traditional Music & Dance from the Mali Empire

World Performance Area  [host: Caitlin Smyth/Lindsey Production Group]

  • 9:00-9:15 SoKY Dance Arts of Bowling Green – Latin Dance
  • 9:20-9:35 Sreshta Meduri, SLB K – Indian Kuchipudi Dance
  • 9:40-10:00 Mbira dza Maungira – Zimbabwean Mbira
  • 10:10-11:10 Roads to Home – Celtic
  • 11:15-11:24 Aora Bollywood – Indian Bollywood Dance
  • 11:25-11:45 Jeff Manning – Scottish Bagpipes
  • 11:50-12:25 Nashville Chinese Culture Club – Traditional Chinese Dance
  • 12:26-12:36 Zomi Community – Zomi Music & Dance
  • 12:38-12:46 Teine O Samoa – Samoan Dance
  • 12:48-12:53 Bluegrass Filipino Cultural Dance Troupe – Dance from the Philippines
  • 12:55-1:10 SoKY Dance Arts of Bowling Green – Latin Dance
  • 1:15-1:45 Safiya & Troupe Banat Nawaar of Arabesque World Dance – Traditional & Modern Dances of Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey & Saudi Arabia
  • 1:50-1:55 Teine O Samoa – Samoan Dance
  • 2:00-2:05 Bluegrass Filipino Cultural Dance Troupe – Dance from the Philippines
  • 2:10-2:20 Luz de Mexico – Traditional Mexican Dance
  • 2:25-2:30 Bluegrass Filipino Cultural Dance Troupe – Dance from the Philippines
  • 2:35-2:55 Jeff Manning – Scottish Bagpipes
  • 3-4:27 Mbira dza Maungira – Zimbabwean Mbira
  • 4:32-4:40 Teine O Samoa – Samoan Dance
  • 4:42-5:05 CAREUSTZ – African / Afghanistan Dance Fusion
  • 5:09-5:39 Safiya & Troupe Banat Nawaar of Arabesque World Dance – Traditional & Modern Dances of Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey & Saudi Arabia
  • 5:44-6:00 Burmese Community of Bowling GreenEthnic Burmese Dances

In the Park

Piñata Bursts & Children’s Activities

Every hour on the hour kids can line up to burst a piñata. In between, visit our children’s activities booth for various free projects to make and take home.

About our Featured Artists

Tuatha Dea

Tuatha Dea

Tribal Celtic
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Celtic, tribal, Gypsy rock with an Appalachian steampunk edge. Their rhythmic groove and interaction naturally inspires audience participation, a staple of their performances. They mesh the traditional music of Scotland and Ireland with their own bold blend of mainstream rock, mountain drumming and Appalachian blues to produce a truly unique sound with universal appeal!

Yeli Ensemble

Traditional Music & Dance from the Mali Empire
Website
YouTube
Instagram

AfricaNashville is an innovative organization that connects African and American artistic communities through music, dance, and cultural education. The YELI Ensemble is named after the word ‘Yeli’, also called a griot in French. A Yeli is a ‘living archive’ of West African people’s traditions. It is someone who has learned their art from the youngest age, initially from their parents and then from their community and different masters of the art form. We are a collective of artists who rotate bringing in new musician-dancers in order to represent the wealth of art forms on the African continent. A few words about our principle musician : Ibrahima Dioubate was born into the Yeli tradition. He is a master of his craft and is celebrated internationally for sharing the rich and amazing culture of Guinea Conakry, a culture that dates back as far as the Mali Empire. Ibrahima is a djembefola, specializing in the solo instrument the djembe, the ‘star’ of West African percussions.

Shresta Meduri, SLB KK

Indian Kuchipudi Dance
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Kuchipudi is a dance-drama performance from India, with its roots in the ancient Hindu Sanskrit text of Natya Shastra. It developed as a religious art linked to traveling bards, temples and spiritual beliefs, like all major classical dances of India. Evidence of Kuchipudi’s existence in an older version are found in copper inscriptions of the 10th century, and by the 15th century in texts such as the Machupalli Kaifat.Kuchipudi tradition holds that Tirtha Narayana Yati – a sanyassin of Advaita Vedanta persuasion, and his disciple, an orphan named Siddhendra Yogi, founded and systematized the modern version of Kuchipudi in the 17th century. Kuchipudi largely developed as a Hindu god Krishna-oriented Vaishnavism tradition, and it is known by the name of Bhagavata Mela in Thanjavur. The traditional Kuchipudi was performed by all males troupe. A dancer in a male role would be in Agnivastra, also known as Bagalbandi, wear a dhoti (a single pleated piece of cloth hanging down from the waist). A dancer in a female role would wear a Sari with light makeup.

Armin Hasanagic & Sasha Strunjas

Armin Hasanagic & Friends

Bosnian Folk

A mix of traditional Bosnian sevdah songs as well as gypsy and folk music from the Balkan region. Instruments include guitar, prim, veillette and gryphone.

Teine O Samoa

Samoan Dance

Samoan dancing and singing with a ukulele.

Burma Nationals

Ethnic Burmese Dances

Learn more at their booth in the park.

Zo, Cho, Karen, Shan ethnic groups from Burma will perform their traditional dance and songs in their languages.

Roux du Bayou Cajun Zydeco Band

Cajun French South Louisiana
Title
YouTube

Roux du Bayou Cajun Band plays authentic cajun, zydeco, swamp pop, mardi gras accordion and fiddle music.

Academy of Flamenco Arts

Flamenco

Academy of Flamenco Arts is a dance organization located in Louisville (KY) that offers flamenco classes for different levels to all ages. The Academy of Flamenco Arts prides itself in its vast diversity, with expertise from Argentina, Venezuela, Cuba, Peru and other parts of the world bringing authentic flamenco style to the academy from each respective country. In addition to classes, it also provides opportunities to perform in the community with events and festivals like Bowling Green to more intimate settings including restaurants and cafes.

Bluegrass Filipino Cultural Dance Troupe

Filipino Cultural Dance

Pandanggo sa Ilaw, which translates as Dance of Lights, is a waltz-style, playful folk dance that showcases a unique fusion of local and western indigenous dance forms. PAYPAY DE MANILA (Manila Folding Fan) is a dance of Spanish influence. It displays the young ladies with scented fans or paypay and flirt with young men with canes and straw hats. The dance music is a mixture of a slow habanera alternated with a very fast polka accentuated with heavy stamping of the men’s heel-clicks. Igorot of dance can be seen in their original form in the remote mountainous regions of Luzon. SINGKILAN This particular dance was originated during the royal era in Lake Lanao which located on the southern island of Mindanao. The Maranao prince and princess originally performed Singkil as a ritual for festivals and ceremonial rites of passage to establish their courtship.

Red River Fiddlers

Celtic – Irish, Scottish, Nova Scotia
Website
YouTube

The Red River Fiddlers perform a Celtic show of upbeat acoustic music featuring student performers of all ages from Essential Music in Alvaton, KY. Julianna Waller-Martinez is the founder and director of the Red River Fiddlers since 2006. She is a Grammy Award-winning violinist, National Champion Fiddler, and has a B.M. from Arizona State University and M.M. from the University of Kentucky. The RRF are dedicated to the heritage of old-time fiddling and world styles.

United ZO Organization OF Kentucky (UZO-KY)

ZO Cultural Dance
YouTube

ZO Cultural dance and song with traditional customs and instruments.

CAREUSTZ

‘Afrighanistan’ (African + Afghan Fusion)

Members of both the African & Afghan Bowling Green communities working together to coordinate dances to each other’s music.

Seefari

classic reggae with healthy doses of dub, rock, jazz, Latin & African
Website
YouTube
Instagram

Award-winning, Chart-topping, Critically-acclaimed Reggae/World Music Artist Seefari has received extensive radio airplay worldwide and critical comparisons to reggae originators Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, Lee “Scratch” Perry and Pablo Moses. Seefari has won numerous awards and his music has been featured on TV and in films. The singer, producer and multi-instrumentalist has performed for hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic fans, headlining festivals across the USA. Seefari’s music mixes the soulful sound of classic reggae with healthy doses of dub, rock, jazz, Latin and African influences.

Safiya & Troupe Banat Nawaar of Arabesque World Dance

Traditional & Modern Dances of Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey & Saudi Arabia
Website
YouTube

Troupe Banat Nawaar of Arabesque World Dance in Lexington, Kentucky performs Raqs Sharqi (Eastern Dance of Egypt and Lebanon) as well as Turkish Orientale and Roma, and Raqs Khaleeji of the Persian Gulf Coast. These are the traditional dance styles of the Middle East and Mediterranean used at celebrations and as professional entertainment at the poshest hotels and restaurants. Their performances blend old traditional dance and music with more modern styles of the century. Flowing Silk Veils, the bright ring of finger cymbals, and colorful traditional costuming create a feast for the senses. Banat Nawaar is an eclectic group of performers led by Safiya Nawaar, who uses over 24 years of training in Raqs Sharqi to create lavish choreographies and theatrical performances that delight audiences across the US.

SoKY Dance Arts of Bowling Green

Latin Dance

Look for their Dance Lessons in the La Gala ballroom.

Title

Latin ballroom dancing with elements of salsa and cha cha

Mbira dza Maungira

Zimbabwean Mbira

Look for their Dance Lessons & booth.

Title

Zimbabwean mbira is a danceable, hypotonic music with rich spiritual dimensions for the Shona people. Mbira dza Maungira (the echoing mbira) honors these deep ancestral roots while sharing Shona music, dance, and culture with their audiences. You’ll dance, you’ll sing, and you’ll enjoy a style of music that UNESCO considers part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Luz de Mexico

Mexican Dance

Las Alazanas by Mariachi Vargas; Son de la negra by Mariachi Vargas; Un poco loco; Jarabe Tapatio

Zomi Community

Zomi Music & Dance

Learn more at their booth in the park.

A traditional song called Zolapi will be performed at the event, accompanied by a cultural dance presented by older generations of Zomi. The Zomi youth will also dance. These performance aims to showcase the richness of Zomi culture and traditions while capturing the beauty of the landscape.

WKU Chinese Music Club

Chinese Music

Learn more at their booth in the park.

Website

Playing Chinese traditional and folk songs with Chinese music instruments.

Tropic Society

Caribbean/Brazilian Fusion
YouTube
Instagram

Tropic Society is a Caribbean/Brazilian jazz fusion group based in Bowling Green, KY. The group infuses jazz into traditional styles such as calypso and soca (Trinidad and Tobago), samba (Brazil), and various Afro-Cuban styles. Get ready for a blend of grooves you can dance to, fueled by the rhythms of the tropics! Featuring: Andrew Dyer (steel pan), Zicky Hart (saxophone and flute), Mick Sagar (guitar), Jason Bruner (keyboard), Quentin Farris (drums), and Slade Moore (percussion)

Roads to Home

Celtic
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Robin Duckett and Dale McCubbins perform traditional Irish/Scottish music, including popular folks songs of the region, also tunes like jigs, reels, even sea shanties!

Jeff Manning

Bagpipes

Jeff Manning is an experienced bagpiper, having played the instrument for over twenty years. He has performed at memorial events at the state and national level, and is often called to perform at local activities in his home of Shelbyville, Kentucky. Originally born and raised in Bowling Green, his employment as a firefighter for the city of Glasgow, KY was where he developed a desire to play the pipes. Jeff has an extensive background in musical performance, playing over 12 different musical instruments.

Arora’s Bollywood Fusion

Bollywood Fusion

Manisha Arora performs Indian Bollywood fusion dance representing various dance forms of Indian culture

Ana Ruiz

Cuban Casino Lessons

Discover the rhythm of Cuba through Casino, the Cuban dance style often compared to salsa but with its own unique flavor.

Nashville Chinese Culture Club

Traditional Chinese Dance

cated to sharing the culture and traditional dances of China. They have been performing throughout Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky for over 20 years, bringing in new dancers as they meet them.

San Rafael Band

Latin/Rock/Jazz Fusion

Latin/Rock/Jazz Fusion Songs in Spanish and English