16th annual Silk Road Festival to focus on ancient music and dance

The 16th annual Silk Road Bayram (festival) will provide audiences with a look into a world of musical and cultural traditions from the various civilizations found along the ancient and celebrated network of trade routes.

The Silk Road began around 200 B.C. and ran thousands of miles from China through Central Asia and to the Turkish shores of the Mediterranean. It brought silk, among many other commodities, to the west. Nicknamed the Silk Road, it enabled one of the greatest cultural exchanges in history, and some of that culture will be brought to life in Bloomington on Saturday.

This year also marks the founding of the Silk Road Institute, which will be announced at Saturday’s event.

Professor Shahyar Daneshgar said that his idea for the festival stemmed from a desire to showcase the talents of international students, many of whom were participants in a summer language workshop.

“People knew very little about the talent we had among foreign students,” Daneshgar said. “They were sort of cultural ambassadors of their countries, just here to study. Soon you found out they were great artists and that’s how I started to tap into this pool of artists who are here.”

To this day, participants in that workshop play a role in the festival, and the event has since blossomed into a “major festival,” Daneshgar said.

The event will be held at 5 p.m. Saturday at First Presbyterian Church and will include a cultural exhibit followed by a concert featuring authentic music, dance and a fashion show. This year’s guest artist will be Iranian tar virtuoso and composer, Mohammad Omranifar, who Daneshgar said will surely be the highlight of the evening.

“He’s a fantastic artist, no doubt about it,” Daneshgar said.

The event marks a special occasion for the Silk Road Ensemble, as it will host the official announcement of the opening of the Silk Road Institute. The institute will continue along the same lines as the annual musical festival but will further seek to expand its reach through educational initiatives and year-round opportunities for cultural and scholarly exchange. As the first fundraising event for the institute, a ticketed reception will immediately follow the concert, for which guests are requested to RSVP.

Daneshgar said he feels “very positive” about garnering support for the new project. He said this is due in no small part to the strong backing of the arts from Mayor Mark Kruzan and IU President Michael McRobbie. Daneshgar said the various international communities in Bloomington and at IU are very enthusiastic about the efforts of the Silk Road Ensemble and Institute since such cultural exchange helps combat modern cultural prejudices.

“They realize that this organization and this festival are trying to showcase positive aspects of their life and culture, and they take ownership of that, and they are very much involved with that,” Daneshgar said.

Melissa Dittmann, assistant director of the festival, said one of the underlying goals of the new Silk Road Institute is to educate the community and aid in overcoming cultural barriers.

“There is a lot of cultural misunderstanding, and the arts can be a great way to overcome those and promote cross-cultural dialogue,” Dittmann said.

The event is sponsored by a number of academic departments at IU and organizations within the Bloomington community.