2016 Folklife

Donate $10. Wear your Folklife Festival daily button with pride. 8 SQUARE DANCING IS INFECTIOUS FUN! By Catherine Lenox Allemande left your corner, right hand to your partner, then left to the next for a grand right and left around the set! At 96 years old, square dancer Carroll Whipple spins easily around the dance floor. Donning a bright-red cowboy hat and sprightly step, she grins broadly. Carroll has square danced for years and says she intends to stay active and keep dancing.“If you keep moving, you won’t stiffen up as you age,” she says. “It’s a wonderful benefit.” Swirling around Carroll, an exuberant 6 year old stamps her cowboy boots and giggles happily as she does a perfect do-si-do. “And, of course,” Carroll says, glancing at the child fondly, “square dancing is also a lot of fun! You meet a lot of great people of all ages on the dance floor.” Longtime square-dance caller and musician Charmaine Slaven agrees. “The infectious Southern, old-time, live string-band music makes it really hard to stand still. The callers not only give instructions, but also have a great sense of humor and, as the emcee of fun, engage the audience. “And the dancing is accessible — experience level doesn’t matter. The squares, like those you’ll find at Folklife, are completely approachable and fun for dancers of all levels. Anyone can enjoy it.” For more about square dancing at the Northwest Folklife Festival, visit us online at NWFolklife.org/Festival . Square Dancing Showcases Modern Western Square Dancing Saturday, May 28 | 1-1:45 p.m. Armory Court Hot Squares Saturday, May 28 | 6-9:00 p.m. Armory Loft - Dance Tractor Tavern Square Dance Sunday, May 29 | 6-9:00 p.m. Armory Loft - Dance Singing Squares Monday, May 30 | 2-3:00 p.m. Fisher Pavilion THE NEW OPEN-AIR DANCE STAGE AT NORTHWEST FOLKLIFE By Catherine Lenox If you’re wandering through the 45th annual Northwest Folklife Festival this year and happen to go behind the Fountain Lawn Stage, you’ll discover Folklife has a brand- new Open-Air Dance Stage. And if you don’t stumble by this treasure by accident, we encourage you to route yourself to it. Nestled in the grass, this small, open-air stage showcases multicultural dance performances from around the world. A non-seated venue, the “teaser stage” gives you a chance to get a taste of the dance performances presented at the Festival. Stand for a while or just catch a glimpse as you walk by, and revel in the swirl of magnificent dancers in beautifully adorned, richly colored costumes. And if you like what you see, we invite you to view more at the Exhibition Hall. A seated venue, the Exhibition Hall hosts a wide variety of energetic dance performances throughout the Festival weekend. The new Open-Air Dance Stage and Exhibition Hall are to get a broader view of international dances from diverse cultures around the world. Look for #14 on the Grounds Map. DANCE Photo credit: Piper Hanson Photo credit: Doug Plummer