Tony Overman/The Olympian
Pete Barril leads members of the Seattle-based Ku-Tee-Ya Tlingit dance and drum team during a performance of Alaskan tribal music at the 2000 Ethnic Celebration.

Behind is Chief Joe Samuels.

Tony Overman/The Olympian
Michaela Holmberg of Olympia performs a Muslim princess dance along with members of the Filipino American Community of South Puget Sound Dancers during the 2001 Olympia Ethnic Celebration.

Tony Overman/The Olympian
Gene Tagaban of Seattle dances as the raven during the 2000 Ethnic Celebration.

Event celebrates South Sound's diversity

KASIA PIERZGA, FOR THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published Friday, February 1, 2002

OLYMPIA -- Ever since she was little, Rath Ros has been learning the graceful, intricate gestures and rhythmic movements of Khmer classical ballet.

Spending weekends immersed in the rich musical and cultural heritage of her parents, the 22-year-old college student is helping to preserve a royal dance performance tradition that was nearly lost forever as a result of the war, famine and social upheaval that ravaged Cambodia through the 1970s and '80s.

So when Rath and the other young dancers from the Kampuchean Association of Olympia take the stage this weekend at Olympia's Ethnic Celebration, the entire community can help celebrate a tradition that has continued for more than 1,000 years.

"I like to be a part of the dance group because it gives us an opportunity to show people a little bit of our culture," says Ros, whose parents came to the United States 20 years ago.

For the past nine years, Olympia's Ethnic Celebration has offered the community a chance to come together to learn about and celebrate the increasing diversity of South Sound. This year, the popular event has expanded to a two-day celebration of international food, music, dance, art and culture.

The free event, which will be held at the Olympia Center on Saturday and Sunday, offers great fun for everyone.

The celebration, sponsored by the city of Olympia, The Olympian, MIXX 96.1, Target and the Olympia Food Co-op, grew to two days this year after it attracted as many as 5,000 visitors in 2001, says Kathy Thompson, Olympia Center spokeswoman.

"The event puts a spotlight on the cultural traditions that many people maintain at home but which are not always visible to the public," says Thompson.

Highlights of the weekend include 30 different music and dance performances from countries such as Argentina, Zimbabwe, Israel and India. The lineup includes some of the most popular and well-known performing groups in the community -- the spirited Irish folk tunes of the Columbia Street Seisiun Band, the engaging playback theater style of the Heartsparkle Players, and the traditional Native American rhythms of the Squaxin Island Tribe Drum Group.

With their very own event "passport" in hand, kids of all ages will enjoy "traveling" to the different countries represented at booths throughout the celebration, getting a souvenir stamp from each one.

Shopping opportunities abound, with hand-crafted arts, crafts, jewelry and clothing offered by exhibitors among more than 40 different ethnic community groups.

Items include amber jewelry from Lithuania, Mexican Apache pottery, textiles from Indonesia, hand-woven vests from Ecuador, baskets imported from the Philippines and colorful Russian folk art.

And then, of course, there's the food -- Thai stir-fry, Indian curry, Danish aebleskiver, Polish sausage, Filipino lumpia egg rolls and barbecued pork, and English fish 'n' chips, plus many other mouthwatering delicacies.

"This event is a chance to see, all in one place, the diversity of our community," says Lonnie Locke, who represents the Study Circles on Race group taking part in the event. "It gives people a chance to see each other close up, rather than only at a distance, so they can get past a lot of the stereotypes that get in the way of getting along."

For dancer Ros, taking part in the Khmer ballet performance helps her stay connected to the cultural tradition of her ancestors -- something she's never had the opportunity to experience firsthand. Born in a refugee camp in Thailand and arriving in the United States at age 2, Ros has never seen the country of her parents' birth.

"A lot of younger Cambodians are losing interest in the old ways, but I keep dancing because it reminds me to remember our culture," she says. "And I hope that by performing the dances, other people can get a new perspective on who we are that's different from what they read about or see on TV."

Kasia Pierzga is a free-lance writer who lives in Olympia.

Olympia Ethnic Celebration

- Where: The Olympia Center, 222 Columbia St. N.W.

- When: 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 2, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 3.

- Admission: Free.

- Information: Call 360-753-8380.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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