Festival of the Silk Road May 18, 2013

The 5th annual Festival of the Silk Road takes place at May 18, 2013 at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in San Jose. Enjoy the festival with daytime fun and evening concerts of dance, music and poetry from the Silk Road including Iran, China, Armenia, the Balkans, Turkey, India, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Greece, Egypt, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, the Roma and more.

Festival of the Silk Road unites Bay Area dance and musical guests to celebrate the rich cultural traditions of the Silk Road. These historic trade routes stretched 7,000 miles across Eurasia from the China Sea in the east to the Mediterranean in the west, which we recreate to celebrate a cross-pollination of ideas and creativity!

Family fun starts at 2pm in the gardens and lobby of the plaza theater with dance and music workshops, live performance, costume exhibits, and the Silk Road Bazaar offering traditional clothing, jewelry and art. Performances and folk dancing all afternoon with special guests Edessa Music Ensemble, Hasmik Harutyunyan, Aycan Yeter, the Folkdance Federation of California.

In the evening at 6pm enjoy two concerts with performances of dance, music and poetry from the Silk Road region including Iran, with a student showcase featureing Niosha Dance, Afsaneh Dance Academy, ASKA Kolo Ansambl, Halanda Dance, Tarangini School of Kathak Dance, ARAX Armenian Dancers and more.

The evening concert at 8pm features RAX Armenian Dance, Ballet Afsaneh, Chinese Performing Arts, Edessa Music, Hala Dance, Hasmik Harutyunyan, Shahrzad Dance, Tarangini School of Kathak, Vionikos Greek Dancers, Yore Turkish Dance, Aycan Yeter, Zaryab Persian Music ensemble with Neema Hekmat, and master artists Imamyar Hasanov of Azerbijan and Pezhham Akhavass of Iran with a unique musical collaboration.

Tickets for both concerts are between $10 & $45. All general activities in the Gardens are Free.

Official Website: http://www.festivalsilkroad.com