lotus festival 2004

This weekend, Bloomington's downtown area came alive with the unique international sounds of Lotus World Music and Arts Festival. The 11th annual multicultural event featured more than 30 artists from around the world, playing their own cultural tunes. During five days, performances were held at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, Second Story, John Waldron Arts Center, Bluebird Nightclub, Convention Center, First United Methodist Church and several strategically-placed tents throughout town. Portions of Kirkwood were blocked in preparation for the popular event which draws an international audience each year.\nDancers, pictured above, swayed away to the contemporary Polish folk sounds of the Warsaw Village Band. The band, which describes its style as "hardcore" folk, released a CD called "People's Spring" in 2002. Pictured left, Darol Anger and Mike Marshall, two of American acoustic string music's greatest proponents, play together at the Waldron Arts Center. The duo explores a musical world which spans Brazil to the Appalachian hills.