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BIDDEFORD, Maine

The University of New England hosts Multicultural Dance Festival at Biddeford City Theater

The University of New England's Office of Multicultural Affairs & Diversity in collaboration with several campus and community partners will host a Multicultural Dance Festival on Friday, September 30 at City Theater, 205 Main Street, beginning at 8:00 p.m. Dance workshops will also be held at City Theater on Saturday, October 1.

The Multicultural Dance Festival celebrates authentic, traditional dance forms from around the world featuring the most innovative master artist dancers/choreographers/teachers and musicians in Southern Maine and New Hampshire. Performing groups include the Middle Eastern Dance and Music with Jamileh and Okbari Middle Eastern Music Ensemble, Indian Classical Dance by the Eastern Cultural Heritage Organization, and the Akwaaba African Drum and Dance Ensemble. Attendees of both the performance and the workshops will have an opportunity to learn more about how various cultures celebrate life through dance and music.

"The goal of the project is to promote global awareness and appreciation for different cultures and traditions through the celebration of traditional dance and music," said Donna Gaspar Jarvis, Director of the UNE Office of Multicultural Affairs & Diversity.  "In each cultural dance, the dance forms are more than just a performing art, but also a means of self-expression, storytelling and spiritual reflection."

The Friday performance is free and open to the public with a suggested donation of $5 at the door. Seating is general admission, with no reserved seats.  Doors open at 7:15pm.  Tickets can be reserved in advance by calling the University of New England Box Office at (207) 602-2891.

There will be two Saturday introductory dance workshops with the master artists for participants to experience the dance first hand. Each workshop will cost $5 per person for general public (UNE students are free with valid ID) and can be paid at the workshop. A Middle Eastern bellydance workshop will be held from 11:00 a.m. -12:15 p.m.  An Indian classical dance workshop will be held from 1:00-2:15 p.m.  All dance workshops will be held on the City Theater main stage.

The Multicultural Dance Festival is funded in part by a grant from the Maine Arts Commission, an independent state agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. This collaborative project is co-sponsored by the University of New England’s Office of Multicultural Affairs & Diversity, Arts@UNE Committee, UNE United Club, Biddeford City Theater, Heart of Biddeford, Engine, Inc. and the Eastern Cultural Heritage Organization.

For more information on the Multicultural Dance Festival, please contact Donna Gaspar Jarvis, at dgaspar@une.edu or 207-602-2461.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.