FIUTS Blog

CulturalFest has helped foster numerous cultural connections in the Greater Seattle Community through students and organizations. We’re proud of the bonds we made with performing groups like Sayaw, which allows us to bring great performances year after year.

Over years, groups found CulturalFest as a special occasion to unite people with similar backgrounds while getting their stories out to greater audience. UW Awaaz is using their heavenly voice again to articulate a beautiful story of the blend of South Asian cultures with the Western rhythm …

FIUTS CulturalFest becomes a spotlight to acknowledge the beauty of different cultures as people grow accustomed to the diversity around them. It’s also a place for fusion groups, like ESCAPE, to highlight the uniqueness and the harmony across cultures . . .

You never get tired of seeing new cultural dimensions each performing group brings to FIUTS CulturalFest. The newly formed Traditional Chinese Dance group at University of Washington is back with 2 new dances to showcase the diversity of Chinese culture . . .

The dance troupe Caña Dulce is bringing their passion and efforts to CulturalFest’s International Expo by introducing a historical story of Costa Rica through music and dance. How will they portray the history of Costa Rican coffee plantations through folk dancing . . .

UW Junoon was founded on the commitment to incorporate diverse styles into traditional Bollywood dance, connecting young women who love to dance with Indian heritage abroad. They are participating in FIUTS CulturalFest for the first time and are going to recreate a sensational Bollywood fusion dance on stage . . .

Community Engagement Fellow Wanda Heydel of Poland asserts, “I strongly believe that intercultural dialogue can be a way to peace and understanding. Without getting to know other people, their cultures, and their backgrounds, we won't be able to understand their motivations, goals, and opinions. I hope that events such as CulturalFest can help us build bridges, not walls . . . “

Sangeet Moksha will be performing at CulturalFest for the first time to share with a wider audience the power that binds their team members together - the rich spirituality of Indian music - through which they hope to heal our hearts . . .

Laura Ordoñez, a Vallenato Panamericano, dancer shares, “For us, music and dance transcend entertainment; instead, they serve as powerful forms of cultural expression, embodying the traditions, values, and history of our heritage which is a combination of African, First Nations and European influences” . . .

CEE Fellow at FIUTS, Bachir from Niger shares, I believe that the CulturalFest makes people from all over the world come and get to know my ‘forgotten’ country . . . Creativity and development in the World is my motto . . .

Over the years, CulturalFest has cooperated with many performance groups in the Seattle area with some of them as returning performers. Taiko Kai has been applauded for the most powerful performance every year they are at CulturalFest Performance. We are lucky to have them back this year!

The topic we chose for this year is Chinese calligraphy. Nowadays, we seldom experience the act of picking up a pen to write a letter or compose an article . . .Through this initiative, we aim to inspire people to rekindle the traditional habit of writing, to appreciate the enchanting beauty and cultural richness embedded in Chinese characters . . .

Storytelling is what makes CulturalFest mesmerizing and memorable for the participants. Sandy Reyes Tena, a descendant of P’urhépecha-Mexico, is going to tell a story from the aspect of Latin American Indigenous communities at CulturalFest Expo 2024!

THE KOMPANY is a seasoned K-Pop dance troupe: their performance always makes a splash! They are joining FIUTS CulturalFest for the first time as a performance group at the night show and will wrap up the full-day cultural celebration. We can’t wait to see them “burn” the stage at CulturalFest . . .