Celebrating the Silk Road Peoples

Come to a Bloomington bayram and celebrate the performing, visual and cinematic arts of the Silk Road peoples and cultures.

The Silk Road—traveled since 200 B.C. by famous people such as the Venetian Marco Polo—was the main artery for the cultural and commercial exchanges in history between Western and Eastern civilizations.

This year, organizers have added a cinematic component to the existing visual and performing arts elements of the event. Movies from the Silk Road regions, including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kirgyzstan, Turkey, Uzbekistan and the Arab world, will be screened, and musical acts will include native and guest artists performing music from Japan, China, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and other regions of the Silk Road.

Last year’s Mongolian native dancer, Tana Gegen Hangen, will return this year for another performance. Bloomington Salaam will be one of the guest artists’ groups to perform.

Plans also are underway to offer a workshop on Eastern calligraphy and an exhibit of the Eastern visual arts. All events will be free and open to public except the calligraphy workshop.

The bayram is being underwritten by many university programs and departments, the Ryder Film Series and with major support from the Azerbaijani American Cultural and Educational Foundation.

For more information, contact Shahyar Daneshgar at silkroadbloom@yahoo.com, and keep an eye on these Web sites for event times and locations:
http://www.indiana.edu/~ealc/
http://home.bluemarble.net/~theryder/