Stage struck: CDBF’s Performing Arts showcases Asian talent

We’re now accepting 2013 Performance & Demonstration Applications: Main Stage | Band Stage | Gateway to Asia & Martial Arts Stage | Cultural Unity | Find Zen

The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival features three main attractions: The thrilling ancient sport of Dragon Boat Racing, the colorful fun and flavorful Marketplace and Taste of Asia Food Court, and our various Performing Arts areas. We take our educational mission as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization very seriously, and try to educate our festival guests each year with new and interesting performances and cultural exhibits.

For the past 12 years, we’ve introduced festival-goers to Asian and Asian American entertainers, experts, artists and community members who want to share the beauty of their culture and the depth of their traditions. The festival’s entertainment is like taking an annual trip to Asia without leaving Denver. We’ve also balanced this respect for traditional culture with an appreciation for more contemporary, Asian American culture.

Here are our performance stages:

MAIN PERFORMING ARTS STAGE

Showcase stage offers both traditional and contemporary culture

From its beginnings 10 years ago, the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival has strived to share the very best of the many diverse Asian communities in Colorado on our Main Performing Arts Stage. But the emphasis hasn’t just been on the traditional cultural performances that captures the centuries of traditions that have been handed down and taught from generation to generation. CDBF has also featured the best contemporary Asian American performances, because frankly, Asian Americans play folk, blues, rock, jazz and R&B like other American musicians.

From Christina Yeh’s traditional Chinese dance troupe (shown above) to Mudra Dance Studio’s kinetic modern Indian styles; from Denver Taiko’s thundering Japanese drums to Chinese American songwriter Dwight Mark’s rock and roll soul, we’ve introduced audiences to the full range of Asian and Asian American entertainment experience, and educated folks while they’ve had fun!

GATEWAY TO ASIA

Explore Asia all weekend without leaving Denver

Enter the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival’s Gateway to Asia for an interactive and entertaining look at diverse Asian Pacific cultural ceremonies and traditions. 

A cultural education component of the festival, Gateway to Asia features stages where you’ll find more intimate performances and cultural demonstrations than on the Main Performing Arts Stage. Each year we also focus on Asian countries so festival-goers can learn more about them.

In 2011 we presented exhibits and performances featuring Japan and the local Japanese American community. Along with the exhibition tents, the Gateway to Asia stage showcased Japanese culture, as well as intimate performances and demonstrations from across Asia and the Pacific.

We also continued an area we debuted in 2010, “Zen,” where festival-goers learned about meditation, yoga, chi gong, tai chi and many other Asian traditions that can help us manage stress in our busy modern lives. And with an Asian ying-yang spin, we alternated the “zenful” demonstrations with Martial Arts demonstrations. NOTE: For 2012, the “Find Zen” area will be located in the CDBF Wellness Village.

CULTURAL UNITY

Cultural Unity celebrates Hip-Hop dance and culture, and the Asian presence in Hip Hop

Since 2007, the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival has included an exciting Cultural Unity stage, where we showcase Denver’s thriving hip-hop community of dancers, spoken word artists, musicians and DJs.

Not Asian, you say? Au contraire, Asians have taken to hip-hop like white on rice! If you watch the popular MTV series “America’s Best Dance Crew,” you’ll see a lot of talented Asian Americans strutting their stuff — and each year the champion group has been either included Asian American members or been most of all Asian American!

DRAGONLAND

CDBF offers fun for all ages

From tots to teens and in-betweens, CDBF has something for everyone. Children and families can enjoy Dragonland, a special area that offers entertaining, hands-on educational activities. Kids of all ages will have a chance to learn about the diverse cultures celebrated at the festival with crafts such as face painting as well as origami.

Last year, we introduced childrens’ performers and storytellers to entertain both young and old in Dragonland.

We’re now accepting 2013 Performance & Demonstration Applications: Main Stage | Band Stage | Gateway to Asia & Martial Arts Stage | Cultural Unity | Find Zen

OPENING CEREMONY

Pomp, spirituality and ceremony mark the start of the festival

One of the most anticipated events of each year’s Colorado Dragon Boat Festival is our Opening Ceremony, which kicks off the weekend on Saturday morning.

It begins with a Team Parade that’s a fun and raucous way to introduce the competitors. Then follows opening remarks and a unique spiritual ceremony that features chanting Buddhist monks who perform an “Eye-Dotting Ceremony” with invited dignitaries, to awaken the spirit of the dragon boats and bless their racers for a great two days of competition.

The Welcome Ceremony concludes with a spectacular Dragon Dance featuring a 75-feet-long dragon operated by members of the Shaolin Hung Mei Kung Fu Academy of Boulder, which has been part of the festival since its first year. You won’t want to miss the colorful, exciting start to a weekend of Asian culture and thrilling athletic competition!