Where is it?
Wilson Elementary School
325 Meadow Lane
Owatonna, MN
Main Stage Performers
Cyril Paul
The streets I have walked are packed with memories and experiences. Some of them were made of packed red dirt, crowded with wild herbs and roots, which we used for curing a variety of maladies in Trinidad.
I enjoy singing with students and teachers. I enjoy sharing my stories. I enjoy teaching my Caribbean heritage. It gives me a great deal of pleasure to be a representative of my Caribbean culture. Sometimes it takes a while to understand the basics of Caribbean folklore, and the few who seem to have difficulty doing so are the ones who do not wish to be there. Thank God, they are the very few. Working with children fulfills part of my dream. My music is vivacious and energizing, and it has been my experience that children respond in kind. Cyril will provide a music and dance residency at Wilson School, culminating with a student performance at CulturFest.
Learn more about Cyril Paul on www.cyrilpaul.com
Chicks on Sticks
Founded in 1998 by Amy Ballestad and Shelley Chinander, Chicks on Sticks explores the ancient and universal art of stiltwalking. We also explore the powerful dynamic of working together as an all-female collective.
Through an initial grant from FORECAST Public ArtWorks, we were able to build stilts, make long-legged costumes, and create several small community performances. In the years since, we have collaborated with puppeteers, dancers, singers, aerialists, and pyrotechnicians to create original performances.
Our pieces range from tall-tale puppet shows in school gyms to flaming pyrotechnic pageants in urban corridors. Our artists also teach stiltwalking in workshops and summer youth camps.
Learn more about Chicks on Sticks on www.chicksonsticks.us
Ethnic Dance Theater Company
Our mission is to foster understanding and awareness of world cultures through the re-creation and presentation of traditional ethnic dance and music. In a society where racial tensions are prevalent, we believe it is vital to promote and project the inherent beauty, dignity, and integrity of all peoples.
We believe that ethnic music and dance are true affirmations of human artistic expression. Many of the cultures which are represented in our programs are currently in great conflict. Through our performances, we acknowledge the inherent beauty and dignity of all peoples.
Learn more about the Ethnic Dance Theatre on www.ethnicdancetheatre.com
Mikael Rudolph the Mime
Mikael presents a clean, high-paced and hilarious physical comedy mime performance with stunningly magical prop illusions and European street-style entertainment. But not only that, Mikael will perform deeply moving mime pieces that demonstrate life's principles.
Audiences delight in his warmly interactive, vigorously animated performance. Beautiful classical mime technique, charming body-puppet mask characters and plenty of audience participation!
- Mikael holds a B.A. in Dramatic Art from Whitman College
- Trained at the Goldston/Johnson School for Mimes and with Marcel Marceau
- Bottomless Hat Award: Best New Act
- Unicorn Award for continued artistic excellence at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival
- Best of Showcase: MN State and County Fair Convention 1998
The St Paul Pioneer Press said: "Mikael Rudolph is skillful and funny enough to change your mind about mime."
Learn more about Mikael Rudolph the Mime on www.mikaelthemime.com
Francis Kofi - Hayor Bibimma Dance Theater
Hayor Bibimma, meaning 'bringing the masses together', is a company specializing in contemporary and traditional music, dance, and stories from Africa.
Under the direction of Francis Kofi, Hayor Bibimma demonstrates a variety of dances and invites the audiences to participate in 'call and response' songs, learn traditional rhythms, and try some dance steps. The company’s dynamic performance educates and entertains, as well as brings people together.
Hayor Bibimma Dance Theater strives to foster public participation in the traditional African performing arts, enhance cultural awareness and increase public access to the richness of the African heritage.
Before founding Hayor Bibimma, Artistic Director Francis Kofi spent over a decade as a professional dancer and choreographer in his native Ghana, as well as in Nigeria, Togo, Benin, and Burkina Faso. In 1996, he was awarded a Fulbright scholarship at the State University of New York. From 1999 to 2001, Francis taught at San Kofa Shule, an Afro-centric elementary school in Lansing, Michigan.
African Dance Builds Community
Buffington’s School of Family Martial Arts
Jeremy Buffington is the head instructor of Buffington’s School of Family Martial Arts, offering classes at M.C. Fitness in Owatonna.
He holds a 3rd degree black belt in Taekwondo, a 2nd degree black belt in Hapkido, and a 1st degree black belt in Kumdo, the Korean Art of the Sword.
Buffington’s operates under the direction of Grand Master Eric Greenquist and Greenquist Academy of Martial Arts. Classes emphasize self-defense, self-confidence, and good citizenship for all ages and ability levels through traditional, time-tested training techniques.
Faribault Boksprings Rugby Team
For anyone reasonably familiar with American football, rugby should be an easy game to understand. The purpose of the game os rugby is to carry the ball over a goal line or kick it over a goal post with more consistency than one’s opposition. The laws of ruby are few and simple. Rugby action does not stop until someone scores, the ball goes out of bounds or a rule is broken.
The Boksprings are the longest tenured non-combined rugby club in Minnesota, Since their establishment in 1971 as a summer side by Mike Markman, the club has since withstood the test of time by continuing in their operation for thirty-one years.
Learn more about the Boksprings Rugby Team on www.bokspringrugby.com