The World In Our Backworld
The Age
Friday January 15, 1993
Fire-dancing and a mock traditional wedding are just two of the ingredients in Melbourne's new muticultural folk festival. Nicole Brady investigates SRI LANKAN fire-dancing is just one of the many obscure, exotic and ancient arts that gets an airing in Melbourne over the next fortnight in `Folkfest', a multicultural, multi-suburban summer festival devoted to showing how 21 different cultures have adapted to life in Australia.
Unlike your usual festival which might focus on one location, Folkfest has thrown itself into the suburbs, from Ardeer to Burwood to Keysborough, into the arms of the communities that keep the old traditions alive.
A bizarre range of cultural treats will be served from erotic operas, weddings and masquerade parties to martial arts demonstrations and banquets.
Consider Essendon, for example, which will play host to the Sri Lankan ``pavilion" where the touring Sri Lankan National Youth Dance Ensemble perform this week, including a traditional fire-dancer.
The troupe was formed to preserve a range of Sri Lankan traditions, explains ensemble director, Colonel Kudaligama. The performers, he says, come from the poorer fringes of Sri Lankan society and otherwise would not have had the opportunity to develop their musical talents.
While a central committee, including former Olympic swimming hero, Murray Rose, coordinates Folkfest events, individual communities have been responsible for the organisation and location of their respective pavilions. The Filipinos chose Victoria University's Footscray campus as a venue to showcase their unique fashion and folk dancing.
Ernie Demate, president of the Folkfest and a representative of the Filipino community, says that while he expects interest from Melbourne Filipinos, he hopes the general public will also get along.
In fact, visitors are encouraged to check out as many pavilions as possible, hence Folkfest's unusual `passport' ticket system. An adult is charged $20 for a `passport' upon their first visit to the festival (children under 15 are admitted free). That passport entitles the holder to four visits to each of the pavilions throughout the nine days, and it is expected that passports will be shared within families.
Recognising that pavilions in the outer suburbs might be difficult to reach, AAT Kings buses are offering tours that drop in on four different countries. $55 covers a passport and transport between the centres. There are four tours to choose from: Irish, Greek, Russian and Malay; Croatia, Southern Hungarian, Polish and Macedonian; Italian, Egyptian, Sri Lankan and Ukrainian; and Slovak, Finnish, Filipino and New Zealand.
Tour information: 2747422.
Folkfest Hotline: 3297998 or 3283425.
Highlights include: Austrian Danube Musicians 6.30pm, Saturday 16 January Calabrian/Italian Lastrada band Monday 18 January Chinese Chinese New Year From 2pm, Sunday 24 January Croatian (Ardeer) Children Folk Dance `Sokadija' 7.30pm Monday 18 January Croatian (Keysborough) Music on `Sargija' Wednesday 20 January Egyptian Pharonic music and dance Friday 22 January Irish Music by Gaelforce Tuesday 19 January Finnish Northern Lights Erotic Opera `She-Bear' 10pm, Monday 18 January Greek Ancient Greece celebration Thursday 21 January Latin Rythms Dance Competition Saturday 23 January Malay Wedding ceremony Daily, 7.30pm Macedonian Masquerade Party 7.30pm Sunday 17 January Filipino Martial Arts Exhibition 8.15pm, Thursday 21 January Polish Jacek and Mariusz, comedy team 9pm Friday 21 January Slovak Traditional Wedding 6pm Saturday 16 January Southern Hungarian Wine tasting Daily Spanish Flamenco dancing Daily Sri Lankan Youth Dance Ensemble 7pm Monday 18 January New Zealand Maori Welcome 6pm Saturday 16 January Portuguese Parade of Traditional Costumes Sunday 17 January Ukrainian Ukrainian Cabaret 6pm Sunday 24 January For locations see page 8.
© 1993 The Age