Starting with the Gala on Thursday, July 19, and finishing with the Candlelight Ceremony on Sunday, July 29, Folkmoot will host eight international cultures alongside Appalachian and Cherokee cultural groups. Video previews of each group can be found at www.folkmoot.org/performers.

• Sentir Venezolano is a diverse Afro-Latino ensemble that presents an exciting family-friendly performance of folkloric dancers, live percussion, songs, and costumes which represent the rich cultural diversity and traditional ethnic dances of Venezuela.

• Lampang Kalayanee School is an energetic youth group from Thailand performing a variety of folk dances from traditional history and from old tales. Notable dances include Dance of Four Regions, Flower Dance and Hill Tribe Dance.

• Based in the northern Cyprus town of Kyrenia, the Youth Center Association was formed in 1998 to celebrate and display the culture, tradition and folklore of Turkish Cyprus to future generations and other cultures by participating in international festivals. The troupe jumps and twirls to live traditional Turkish Cypriot music.

• La Ragazze Italiane is eager to share the beauty of Italian culture by presenting Italian music and dance from different regions and time periods. Le Ragazze has been together since 2007 and brings 50 years of experience, sharing their love of Italian culture, music and dance with world audiences.

• Kasava has focused its activity on the preservation of folk materials traditional to the eastern regions of the Czech Republic since 1971. The repertoire of the ensemble combine music, dance, and drama. These arise from folk rituals and customs and use materials reflecting lives of past generations from the region.

• “Fiesta Mexicana” Ballet Folklorico, began in 1987 with a group of dancers, who decided to form a folkloric dance group with the purpose of spreading the cultural roots of Mexico. The group’s folkloric roots, full color, mysticism, joy and artistic content, have found their best form of expression in dance. Showcased in performances is the strength and vigor of the northern dancers.

• Represented at Folkmoot by a summer studies cohort residing at Western Carolina University, Jamaican educators integrate the arts into their classrooms on a daily basis. Dance is used in all areas of learning from science and mathematics to literature.

• Founded in 1985, the Nkrabea Dance Ensemble is one of the few existing cultural performance groups in Africa today. The group is based in Accra, Ghana. Energetic youth members are well rehearsed in African traditional drumming and dancing, folk music, acrobatics, fire eating, and stilt dancing. The group insists on high discipline, dedication, focus and passion.

For a full schedule of events, visit www.folkmoot.org. Tickets for festival events can be purchased in advance at www.folkmoot.org or by calling 828.452.2997. 

Ticket sales and contributions support Folkmoot programs that sustain cultural arts for youth and families in western North Carolina.

Folkmoot’s programming initiatives have been made possible by the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina and the Cherokee Preservation Foundation.

Folkmoot is a nonprofit organization dedicated to celebrating many cultures in one community. The Folkmoot Friendship Center is located in the Historic Hazelwood School at 112 Virginia Avenue in Waynesville. 

828.452.2997 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..