2011 Main Stage Performers

The Main Performing Arts Stage is sponsored by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD)

ARCINDA

(1:30 pm Sunday) Java, an island in the Indonesian archipelago is also a name used to describe a nice coffee and the name of a popular computer programming language. But yes, Java is a real place with a nice people and a beautiful culture. Javanese Gamelan is a traditional music from Java. Traditional Javanese music is soft and mellow, while modern Javanese music is more dynamic. Modern Javanese music/song can be transposed to western/modern music and be played together with a modern band. Arts and Culture of Indonesia (ARCINDA) is a Denver-based group that performs traditional Javanese Gamelan music and dance. www.arcinda.org

Begotten Band

(3:00 pm Sunday) Begotten Band returns to the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival Main Performing Arts Stage this year. They are a Filipino community rock band playing pop and rock cover songs as well as Filipino songs, with the added ouch of rock and roll. Begotten Band was started way back 2007, and got its name from the book of John 3:16 in the bible. These Filipino musicians have played at weddings, birthdays, clubs, Filipino festivals and their own gigs. The band last played at CDBF in 2009.

Christina Yeh Dance Studio

(12:30 pm Sunday) Christina Yeh is a dancer, choreographer, and dance instructor. She took her first dance lesson at age 10, and dance has since become a part of her life. She graduated from Chinese Culture University in Taipei, Taiwan, majoring in dance and music. She participated in a national good will mission tour performing dances in Europe for six months to promote culture exchange. She founded the Christina Yeh Dance Studio in Denver and Centennial to teach young children traditional Chinese dances, and her students have been part of the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival since its first year. www.christinayehdancestudio.com

Keoni Coelho

(10:30 am Sunday) Keoni Coelho is a professional entertainer of 30+ years, originally from Hawaii. His style features an Island Jazz and contemporary theme. He has been a featured performer in Hawaii, on the mainland and in Japan. He is the founder of Hawaiian-Way Entertainment serving a diverse client base in Colorado since 2003. Keoni brings the “Aloha” through various forms of island entertainment with exceptional talent (including himself). Says Keoni, “We bring the real value in Island theme entertainment that is fun, lively and for sure authentic.” www.hawaiianway.com

Cultural Unity Sampler

(5:00 pm Saturday) For the first time at CDBF, we’re showcasing some of the dance groups and DJs from our very popular Cultural Unity hip-hop stage on the Main Performing Arts Stage, so you can get a taste of the fabulous talent in Denver’s hip-hop community. Here’s the full list of 2011 Cultural Unity performers.
 
 
 
 

Dance2Live

(4:30 pm Sunday) Dance2Live is a multi-cultural, non-profit (pending status) unique organization aimed at providing resources for a healthy and positive lifestyles for dancers. We believe that dance is more than a movement of body through music. We believe that dance can provide outlets for creativity, inspiration, fitness, natural stress-relief, social bonding, character building, multicultural diversity, and so much more. Dance2Live is on a mission to create and nurture these outlets under one philosophy, a positive lifestyle. Our philosophy is two-fold, but quite simple – never stop learning and provide unconditional love and support to those around. We believe that the power of applied knowledge, and strong community ties can create wonderful things. Each member in Dance2Live has something to bring to the table, whether it’s experience in dance, teaching, business, marketing, networking, idea generation, retail, support or even cooking. It is our #1 priority to be ourselves so that we can be best at helping those in the community. www.dance2live.org

E.P. Davis

(3:45 pm Saturday) EP Davis has been a professional for over 30 years, performed in over 60 countries and for two United States Presidents. He had two Ukulele CDs and hosts “The Steel Guitar Jam” a weekly radio show on KRFC FM 88.9. He divides his time between Hanalei, Hawaii and Fort Collins, Colorado. www.hanaleiep.com
 
 
 

Denver Taiko

(5:00 pm Sunday) Denver Taiko is celebrating 35 years as a group and are the fourth oldest taiko group in North America. A community-based organization committed to honoring and sharing Japanese drumming through performance, Denver Taiko combines both modern and ancient rhythms into a style and sound which is uniquely their own. Throughout the years, Denver Taiko has performed across the US in many different venues which each performance providing the group an opportunity to share the Japanese culture and spirit to those in attendance. Denver Taiko has been performing at the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival since the first year, in 2001. www.denvertaiko.org

Diya Deepak

(Noon Saturday) Diya is 10 years old, and has been performing at events since the age of 5. She has performed at the Kerala Association of Colorado, Telugu Association of Colorado, India Association of Colorado, University of Denver, University of Wyoming and other venues. Semi-classical South Indian dance features extensive body movement, grace and expressions, speed and immense creativity. It is a celebration of dance and a joyous burst of movements to a melody along with meaningful lyrics expressed by the dancer. Diya’s dancing is choreographed by the Mrs. Prathyusha Apparasu (Founder of Laya Dance Academy, layadanceacademy.com. This is Diya’s first year performing as a solo act at the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival. www.diyadeepak.com

Erhoopla Ensemble

(1:45 pm Saturday) The Erhoopla Ensemble features, Brian Mullins and Mike Fitzmaurice on Chinese two-stringed spike fiddles. The Erhu, pronounced “Err Who” is the distinctive sound of China, featured in “Crouching Tiger” and various other Asian films. Other instruments include the, Zhong Ruan, Qin, Hulusi and baritone Ukelele. This ensemble plays a combination of traditional chinese music, original music, a touch of Tuvan throat singing, and the occasional song from early era jazz.

Filipino-American Community of Colorado

(4:30 pm Saturday) The FACC is the oldest continuing Asian American organization in Colorado, originally established in 1954. For more than 50 years, the FACC has been providing a small piece of the Philippines for our members while sharing the unique cultural heritage of our homeland with all of our friends along the Front Range through dance, song and great food. Opening our cultural center in Edgewater in 1988 has allowed us to flourish as we established our own “barrio” where we nurture our children with the traditions of the Filipino extended family, create life long friendships and simply have a wonderful place to call home. Membership is open to Filipinos and Americans alike as we build a community on hospitality and compassion in the Filipino style. www.facebook.com/pages/FACC/118005253683

Gamelan Tunas Mekar

(12:30 pm Saturday) Gamelan Tunas Mekar is a community orchestra under the direction of Balinese composer and Artist-in-Residence I Made Lasmawan. Tunas Mekar performs the indigenous music of the island of Bali, Indonesia. Modeled after typical village groups found throughout Bali, and taught with traditional methods, Tunas Mekar provides an unforgettable experience of one of the world’s most fascinating cultures. Tunas Mekar is sponsored in part by the University of Denver Lamont School of Music. www.tunasmekar.org

Great Wall Chinese Academy

(4:00 pm Saturday) Great Wall Chinese Academy is a 501(C) 3 non-profit Sunday Chinese school based in Highlands Ranch. We teach Mandarin Chinese language and culture to students from preschool through high school and adults. Our students from culture classes are very active in performing in local community and they treasure the opportunities to share their culture heritage with local community. www.greatwallchineseacademy.org

Jack Hadley

(3:00 pm Saturday) Born in the Philippines, Jack Hadley grew up in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco. His family moved to Denver, where he learned to play guitar by ear, playing music by everyone from Hendrix to Dylan, unaware that he was learning the foundation of American music – the blues. Jack continued sharpening his guitar skills and discovering his vocal talent along the way. He toured the US, Canada and the UK with Otis Taylor. Jack has performed live on the BBC in London and at the King Biscuit Blues Festival. His trio, The Jack Hadley Band, has performed at the Snowy Range Music Festival. Jack is a founding member of the Boulder Asian Pacific Alliance and performs at the Boulder Asian Festival. He has performed for several year at CDBF with his friend Dwight Mark, but this is his first time showcasing his own music at the festival.jackhadleymusic.net

Halau Hula o na Mauna Pohaku

(2:00 pm Sunday) Halau Hula o na Mauna Pohaku (Hula School of the Rocky Mountains) is based in Boulder and led by Tammie Ha’awina Chaumillon. We maintain the protocol, history and teachings of past generations while spreading aloha through the community. Our halau is the organizer of the Colorado Aloha Festival, which is held every two years. Mark your calendars for our next event in 2012! We are a proud member of the Boulder County Arts Alliance (BCAA). www.maunapohaku.org

Karkalo Gava

(Noon Sunday) This is a group of young Nepali dancers age from 8 to 12 years old who have already showed their talent four-five times in several Nepali cultural dance programs. Most of them goes to Crestview Elementry School and are very eager to show their talent to other communities too.
 
 
 
 

Dwight Mark

(3:00 pm Saturday) Dwight has been honing his pop-rock, folk and blues musical stylings for over 20 years. With the release of his second recording, “Soul’s Engines,” Dwight continues to share his feel-good Americana music with a soulful voice and a host of vintage acoustic mandolins, guitars and the Hawaiian Weissenborn steel guitar. If you’ve visited the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival before, you’ll recognize singer-songwriter Dwight Mark. Dwight wrote the festival’s official theme song, “Go Go Dragon Boat,” and has performed it at CDBF every year since 2006. www.dwightmark.com
 
 

MON-AEL Mongolian Cultural Center

(11:00 am Sunday) The “MON-AEL” Mongolian Cultural Center for the Arts (MCCA) is devoted to promoting Mongolian arts and culture by providing culturally focused outreach programs, and promoting cross-cultural events in Colorado and beyond. We seek to cultivate the preservation, knowledge, and appreciation for the Mongolian Arts by helping bridge artists together in helping establish an atmosphere of cross cultural understanding, exposure and acceptance. In affiliation with the MCCA, the “IWE“ Youth Group aims to teach youth of all ages about the dynamic heritage of Mongolia and its traditional arts in effort to raise cultural awareness through activities and classes in categories of visual arts, dance, and drama. www.moneal.org

Mudra Dance Studio

(5:00 pm Sunday) Mudra Dance Studio, a nonprofit organization, is intent on the celebration and promotion of diversity through the universal language of DANCE & MUSIC, using the classical Indian dance form of “Kathak” – story telling – along with contemporary and folk dances from India. The studio was started in 1992 with three students in a basement, and has now become a rainbow of over 80 students from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds of all ages. We focus on: Cultural outreach and diversity, children and education, charity & uplifting, well-being and collaboration. Join us for our fun-filled classes, or enjoy our public performances, including at the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, where we’ve been performing since 2002! www.mudradancestudio.us

National Martial Arts Academy

(11:30 am Sunday) National Martial Arts Academy is a Chinese-based martial arts system with its main emphasis on Traditional Kung Fu and Contemporary Wushu. Advanced athletes are professional competitors comprising U.S Wushu Team Members, World Champions and Performers. The academy is located in Aurora and offers a full range of classes and programs in mixed martial arts, wushu, kickboxing, self-defense and kids’ karate. The Academy’s Master Jerry Silva began his martial arts training when he was four years old in Denver, in the Chinese discipline of Gong Fu at a local church, and has captured many championship titles. He is a student of Beijing super star, Master Zhuang Hui. www.wushunmaa.com

Nkauj Hnub Nraug Hli

(10:00 am Sunday) The Nkauj Hnub Nraug Hli is a self-taught Hmong dance group. They have been dancing and performing traditional Hmong dances from a very young age, and have performed for the Hmong New Year and for other Asian events in Colorado. They have also traveled to California, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Wisconsin to perform. They are the first Hmong dance group to have a male performer, Kevin Yang, who also teaches the group the dance moves, styles, routines, and chooses the music for their performance. The Nkauj Hnub Nraug Hli Hmong dance group uses more traditional and subtle dance movements, while today, you may find other Hmong dance group with more up-tempo and fast beat dance style movements. This dance group continues to Hmong dance even into their early 20′s because they not only love to entertain, but they have value for their culture, and through dancing, they are able to express the beauty of the Hmong culture.

Okinawa Kenjinkai

Okinawan Dance
Colorado Okinawa Kenjinkai (Association) marks its 37th anniversary this year. The members have learned Okinawan dances with help of Ms. Naoko Ahagon, the master dancer of the Binfukai group from Tamagusuku Dance School in Okinawa. The Kenjinkai organizes the celebrative event biennially to introduce Okinawan culture to the community, also holds New Year party and picnic annually to promote mutual friendship. They have participated actively in the Japanese cultural events in the community, such as Denver Kohaku Utagassen (Singing Competition), Bon Odori Festivals, and Asian Festival by Japan America Society of Southern Colorado.

One Sun One Moon

(3:00 pm Sunday) One Sun One Moon (OSOM) is a garage-pop-rock blend of stirring guitar riffs layered over an intense heartbeat and female vocals. With lyrics vacillating from emotional to apathetic, the songs speak like powerful yet detached personal meditations. One Sun One Moon was formed for dancing underneath the stars on a night lit by one moon and music-making on days inspired by the warmth of one sun. Ger Chang and her brothers Vong and Yeng along with ‘don Pierce, a long-time friend from the computer store, are One Sun One Moon. The band will bring a fresh young sound to the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival. www.facebook.com/pages/One-Sun-One-Moon/179054708783863

Pacific Pride and Island Hearts

(2:30 pm Saturday) Pacific Pride and Island Hearts is a non-profit organization of Polynesian Dancers based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. We promote unity among the different cultures through dance, music, and public education activities. We provide a network for ongoing information and activities, which assist in encouraging ethnic diversity. Pacific Pride and Island Hearts is proud to be returning to the Main Performing Arts Stage of the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival in 2011!

Pearls For Breakfast

(4:00 pm Sunday) Pearls For Breakfast is a Denver-based alternative rock band, emerging from the remnants of two defunct local bands. Combining the vast influences of the founding members, vocalist Kenny Lee Young and guitarist Chris Sawyer, Pearls For Breakfast has a unique sound based on a need to explore many different sonic possibilities. Adding to the difficulty of labeling this particular style, their music contains influences like, but not limited to: Pearl Jam, The Black Keys, Ray LaMontagne, Death Cab For Cutie, The White Stripes, Iron and Wine, Radiohead, Nick Drake, Ratatat, The Dead Weather, Tom Petty, and many more. www.facebook.com/pearls4breakfast

Shaolin Hung Mei Kung Fu Academy

(2:00 pm Saturday) The Shaolin Hung Mei Kung Fu Academy, based in Boulder, has been a part of the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival since before the festival’s beginning. Its founder and Shifu Howie Solow is one of the founders of CDBF, and his students bring the 70-feet-long dragon to life during the festival’s opening ceremonies every year. Shifu Solow founded the Colorado branch of the Shaolin Hung Mei line of kung fu schools in 1993. His group is a popular attraction throughout every Lunar New Year month at restaurants, businesses and events all over the region, and his academy has become a hub of traditional Chinese arts and culture far beyond martial arts. www.shaolinhungmei.org

The Thai Harmony Traditional Arts Ensemble

(2:30 pm Sunday) The Thai Harmony Traditional Arts Ensemble in collaboration with Wat Buddhawararam of Denver is a group dedicated to the preservation and promotion of traditional Thai music and dance. Consisting of Thai American students ages 4-22, Thai Harmony has performed at various multicultural events and Thai community functions throughout Colorado as well as in New Mexico and California, including previously at the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival. We’re looking forward to our return on the Main Performing Arts Stage.

Tyler Weaver

(3:45 pm Sunday) Tyler Weaver started his martial arts training as soon as he was walking. Tyler is one of the world’s top leading youth martial artists. He began competing an amateur league when he was 7 and by 9 he was ready for the Elite divisions. In 1997, he won his first ISKA World Title and has earned three more since then. From there his success and extreme talent has landed him prime-time television exposure including Disney, the premier episode of “The Megan Mullally Show” and “The OPRAH Winfrey Show.” When Tyler is not training or filming, he is traveling world-wide for performances, seminars, and teaching locally at his karate school. www.tylerweaverscma.com

The Wendy Woo Band

(1:00 pm Saturday) Wendy Woo grew up in Boulder, Colorado raised by her Filipino father and Irish/American mother. Woo’s parents have studied and taught Tai Chi Chuan, the Chinese martial art since 1968. They started Rocky Mountain Tai Chi Chuan in 1974, which is still being run by her father Bataan Faigao. Raised around Tai Chi, Woo was immersed in the principles and practices of the art. Woo’s mother was a painter and father a poet, so the creative arts were a common study in her upbringing. Eight self released CDs later and five-time winner of Denver’s Westword Magazine best songwriter award, Woo’s usual style of songwriting has transitioned into the strong and emotional pop sounds and deep funky grooves with the help of Robin Hoch singing mesmerizing harmonies and adding viola to the mix. www.wendywoo.com

Doug Yoshimura & the Cheapsuits Blues Band

(1:00 pm Sunday) Doug Yoshimura is a Sansei or third generation Japanese American and a Denver native. Doug’s paternal Grandfather brought the family to Colorado after being released from their being relocated to the internment camp at Gila River, Arizona. Doug lived in both Denver’s lower east side neighborhood of Five Points and lower north side neighborhood of Sunnyside. So he grew up in a predominantly black neighborhood as a child then moved as a pre-teen to an ethnic mix of working class immigrants with a strong Mexican American contingency. This was during the ’60s and ’70s when social reform and change was exploding all around which all had something to do with shaping the music that seeped into his mind and hence out his fingers. The Cheapsuits Blues Band performs their own interpretations of a variety of rock and blues classics with the intent of not imitating the original. From Santana to Muddy to Elmore James to JJ Cale to JJ Grey and beyond, their influences are widespread. They are definitely not a copycat cover band. You may have seen and heard them at the Cherry Creek Sneak where they’ve played for the last 13 years or in any number of frontrange venues. They’ve also hosted several open stages in the metro area and played with a who’s who variety of local blues artists and legends. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cheapsuits-Blues-Band/146085542128429