After 11 years, Lotusfest is still Rockin'

There's no denying that Indiana has a unique culture all its own: the vast cornfields, cows and abundance of John Deere paraphernalia give the state an identity with which Hoosiers identify. But for many, the need for diversity, that only other ways of life can provide has become too great.\nLotusFest, a culture and music festival sponsored by The Lotus Education and Arts Foundation, will return to Bloomington for its eleventh year September 22. The four-day celebration of international music and art will feature a variety of performances, including vocal and instrumental, as well as kids' activities, art processions and nightly parades. It will also include performers who represent equally diverse cultures and musical flavors, including big names that span the globe: from the Ghanian Kusun Ensemble (a group of dancers and musicians from Western Africa who will also lead an African Percussion Workshop on Saturday) to Seu Jorge (a guitarist whose record was named Brazil's "Album of the Year" in 1999, and whose music can also be found in the critically-acclaimed films "City of God" and "The Life Aquatic").\n"We don't like using the term 'headliners,' though these musicians are very well known in their respective countries," says Lee Williams, executive and artistic director of LotusFest. "They're popular, but they're people for you to discover. You can just walk in and stumble into something you've never heard before, and it's amazing. It's a voyage of diversity."\nSince 1994, the multicultural gala named after Indiana native and champion fiddler Lotus Dickey has ushered an innumerable amount of musical flavors from across the globe into the Hoosier state. Dickey himself spread his bluegrass and gospel roots across Southern Indiana, his original "Indiana, My Home Sweet Home" becoming a state-wide favorite in the twenties and thirties. \nAnd, in the spirit of Dickey himself, Bloomington has continued to honor the tradition of disseminating different types of music across Indiana, enriching the culture and promoting the appreciation of not only eclectic musical genres, but eclectic ways of life.\nFunkadesi (pronounced "funk-uh-daisy"), an Indian percussion group, is another act lined up on the schedule. Drums are paired with female singers and reggae dance for a cross-cultural experience.\n"You can come to LotusFest and hear instruments you've never heard before," Williams says. "It takes that leap of faith. This isn't mainstream music, but it allows you to learn about other cultures. These acts were selected because their music is captivating."\n"Cultural" is the keyword in describing the mission of LotusFest -- not only in the international sense, but in a sense that is also closer to home. American acts will also be featured, each bringing a unique flavor to the festival. Jake Shimabukuro, a Hawaiian native in his early twenties who holds four Hoku awards (the Hawaiian equivalent to the Grammy) and who also played with Jimmy Buffett, will showcase his talents with the ukulele.\nSome of America's neighbors will represent blues and folk. The Wailin' Jennys, a female vocal group from Canada, along with Foster, will open LotusFest with the "Women's Voices" program on Thursday at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. \nAnd this year, the LotusFest committee has aimed to make the event even bigger and better. "Street tents have been replaced with street stages," says Williams. "Everything's much larger, so it will accommodate more people." \nA mix of indoor venues and street tents, along with children's activities, hands-on art tables and educational workshops, will ensure that all visitors will be sure to find something for their tastes at the festival. In addition to the number and availability of programs and events, this year's LotusFest will include a set of acts that is almost entirely brand new, making for a truly unique musical experience. \n"The vast majority of acts are new. Only about five or six are returning," says Williams. People who attended last year can expect a brand new show awaiting them.\nThere will be more than thirty musicians performing over the course of four days. Simultaneous shows at multiple venues will provide passersby with not only a wealth of musical art and culture, but maybe also with a CD or two.\n"Lotus is very open. You can talk to the artists and buy their stuff throughout the whole thing," says Williams. \nAnyone willing to expand either their taste in music or awareness of other ways of life will find a treasure trove of opportunities awaiting them at LotusFest. \n"I think that the festival will be really cool and a great experience to find more styles of music from outside the U.S. and see what is most popular in other countries," says sophomore Grant Heger. "To give people the chance to venture outside their 'favorite' genres of music allows them more of a chance to see the world for what it is and accept more views and styles."\nWilliams describes the festival as something much more than just listening to music that may be unfamiliar to Indiana residents.\n"It even goes beyond being an audience member, sitting there listening," he says. "You can participate in the visual and musical symbol of unity that's celebrated right here, in the streets of Bloomington. It's very powerful"