Ethnomusicology festival showcases world cultures

Whispering excitedly, the audience watched as graduate student Kristina Downs balanced precariously on slack ropes strung between two trees.

Moving slowly forward, then backward, Downs awed the crowd with her talent at the Folklore and Ethnomusicology Student Association Festival on Friday in the parking lot of 800 N. Indiana Ave.

Students in the department worked hard to bring numerous talents, a henna tattooist and refreshments together to create the festival, Event Coordinator Chris Roush said.

“It started with the director of the Ethnomusicology Institute, Mellonee Burnim, several years ago,” Roush said. “She came up with the idea for the festival and wanted the undergraduate student association, FESA, to get together and plan this event to bring everybody from campus together for a festival that represents folklore and ethnomusicology and what we do.”

Students in the department study vernacular arts and the historical, cultural and social contexts in which these arts are embedded, FESA academic advisor Krystie
Herndon said.

“Though it’s the end of the year and the students are really busy, they managed to pull this festival together,” Herndon said. “The idea for it has been around for about five years, and this group of students finally made it happen.”

Featuring acts native to places from the Appalachian Mountains to Tahiti, the festival had performers who wowed the numerous spectators.

“This has definitely been an interesting festival,” freshman Alex Burgan said. “I thought the slack rope act was really cool.”

Sitting down, swinging slowly back and forth on the ropes, Downs told a brief story about a basket and a cobra before proceeding.

Putting both legs behind her head, Downs put a wooden recorder in her mouth and started to play. Using her arm, she wiggled it in front of her, imitating a snake. She unwound herself and leapt to the ground, where enthusiastic applause greeted her.

Junior Jordan Jackson and senior Kip Hutchins also performed in the festival. Carrying  tunes all the way from Boone, N.C., Jackson and Hutchins performed with their voices, a guitar and a mandolin.

“Kip is one of my good friends, and he’s the one who got me to perform in the festival,” Jackson said. “He was like, ‘Come play some country music,’ and I said, ‘I’m in.’”

Eric Morales performed a Tahitian dance as he donned traditional clothing.

His headpiece was made out of tapa, which is Tahitian bark cloth. The rest of his attire included a necklace made of mother of pearl and shell, a loincloth held on with tapa rope and raffia leg pieces.

“Tahitian dance is performed everywhere,” Morales said. “I’ve studied Tahitian dance for many years, and my research paper I am currently writing focuses on the globalization of Tahitian dance.”

The final act of the evening featured full, colorful skirts and chiming zills, or finger cymbals.

A troupe of belly dancers shook their hips on the small stage and danced in sync as they moved together and formed a tight circle.

At the end of the act, they invited the audience onstage to learn how to belly dance. Many people, including Hutchins and Morales, went up to learn the dance.

“I hope there weren’t too many pictures taken,” Hutchins said as he made his way off the stage with a  grin on his face.

Roush said he was glad the festival came together on Friday the 13th, a day of significance to many cultures.

“Everybody worked hard to pull this together, and I think the students did a great job,” Roush said. “I’m glad it finally happened.”