Fun Facts

The 15th annual Cityfolk Festival will take place on July 1-3, 2011.

202 people made online donations to Cityfolk last year.

Phyllis Brzozowska started Cityfolk with a few friends 30 years ago.

Approximately 40 community members will perform in CBC's Rise Up and Dance! later this month.

Cityfolk is run by 5 full- and part-time staff members, four contracted employees, one intern and many, many volunteers.

6,118 Dayton area children attended Culture Builds Community performances and events last year.

Roughly 75,000 people attend the Cityfolk Festival every year.

918 people from sixteen countries follow Cityfolk on Facebook

4,995 people attended Cityfolk concerts during the 2009-2010 Season

The Chieftains Still Going Strong Half a Century Later

For millions of people around the world, "Irish Music" means The Chieftains. Piper Paddy
Moloney still leads this Grammy-winning band a half century after they launched the revival of Irish traditional music in the 1960s. They may be the biggest brand name in Irish music, but they still maintain all the enthusiasm of a group of young players. A Chieftains concert is driven by the kind of high spirits and high powered virtuosity that distinguishes the best bands in the world.

Since their commercial breakthrough in 1975, when they created the soundtrack for Stanley Kubrick's film Barry Lyndon, they have not only embodied the best of the deep wellspring that is Irish music, they've collaborated with musicians the world over including Paul McCartney and (most recently) guitarist Ry Cooder.

The Chieftains have toured North America for 35 years and their winter tour, which coincides with annual St. Patrick's Day celebrations, has become a ritual thousands eagerly anticipate each year. Always showcasing the best young Irish dancers on tour, the Chieftains are still anchored by singer/bodhran player Kevin Conneff, Dublin fiddle virtuoso Sean Keane and Matt Molloy, the premier flutist in Irish music. As the band approaches its fifth decade, the flame still burns bright for Moloney as he anticipates the Chieftains 2011 Winter Tour, "We're still unique," he says. "A lot of bands have come and gone, but we're still here."

See the Chieftains at the Schuster Center in Dayton on March 6. And visit the Dublin Pub before the show for an Irish buffet from 4 - 7 pm. A portion of each $20 dinner sold benefits Cityfolk (beverages, tax and tip not included).

On Pace to Rise Up and Dance!

by Drew Formentini, Culture Builds Community Intern

With just over a month left of preparation before Culture Builds Community’s Rise Up and Dance! final performance on March 19, local artists are working hard with over 30 Dayton Public School students to rehearse and perfect their dances. Read more about the project from this blog post. At this point, all three neighborhoods--Twin Towers, Wright Dunbar and Fairview--are on pace to deliver a superb final performance.

According to Jean Howat Berry of East End Community Center and coordinator in the Twin Towers neighborhood:

“The young people taking part are getting more committed with each session. They are happiest when they’re dancing, in the midst of the choreography and learning new skills. They are totally into the movement! The style work is outstanding, from my perspective as an observer. Julius is sharing such great detail with the kids, such rich physical nuance.”

Local artist Julius “Eclypse” Jenkins said the following about the program so far:

“The children are getting a chance to show and develop talent that they would otherwise not be able to or encouraged to explore. They have repeatedly expressed how they love being at the session and it is apparent in their progress through better self esteem and learning how to communicate with each other more appropriately.”

Le Vent du Nord Returns to Dayton

Winner of the Canadian Folk Music Award for “Ensemble of the Year” in 2010, Le Vent du Nord, a band that “epitomizes the infectious verve and bonhomie of the current roots music revival in Québec” (FROOTS), returns to Dayton for a concert Tuesday, February 22, 2011, in Boll Theatre on the University of Dayton campus. General admission tickets for the concert are $18; senior, military, student and Celtic Series discounts are available.

Formed in 2002, Le Vent du Nord's repertoire includes old-time instrumental dance tunes for contredanses, quadrilles and square sets, traditional chanson a respondre (call and response) songs, a cappella quartets and more. The band has been enthusiastically received at the many major music festivals the band has played. Since its formation, the band has toured extensively throughout Canada and the U.S. and in Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Spain, France, the U.K. and Norway.

Le Vent du Nord made its recording debut in 2003 with Maudite Moisson!, which won the Juno Award (the Canadian Grammy) for “Roots and Traditional Album of the Year” and was hailed as “absolutely essential” by Penguin Eggs. The band’s follow-up effort, Les Amants du Saint-Laurent, was named “Best Traditional Album” at the first annual Canadian Folk Music Awards in 2005. La Part Du Feu (2009) is nominated for a Juno Award in the “Roots and Traditional Album of the Year: Group” category; the awards will be presented March 27.

The band’s most recent recording, Le Vent du Nord Symphonique (2010), stretches the boundaries of traditional music in a new direction. Recorded live at Le Grand Théâtre de Québec, the album captures a joint appearance by Le Vent du Nord and the Quebec City Symphonic Orchestra, one of Canada’s oldest symphonic ensembles, performing a set of Le Vent du Nord favorites. Released at the end of 2010, the album made many critics’ “best of the year” lists.

Get a taste of their lively style from the videos on this previous post. Then bring some Quebecois cheer to your winter by joining us for the concert on February 22.

Photo by Stephanie Najman

2010 Grammy Winners

Congratulations to the following artists who were awarded Grammys last night! All of these amazing musicians performed in Dayton for Cityfolk. How many have you seen?


Best Country Instrumental Performance

Hummingbyrd
Marty Stuart
Track from: Ghost Train: The Studio B Sessions

Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group

Moody 4B
James Moody

Best Latin Jazz Album

Chucho's Steps
Chucho Valdés And The Afro-Cuban Messengers

Best Latin Rock, Alternative Or Urban Album

El Existential
Grupo Fantasma

Best Americana Album

You Are Not Alone
Mavis Staples

Best Contemporary World Music Album

Throw Down Your Heart, Africa Sessions Part 2: Unreleased Tracks
Béla Fleck

Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)

Baba Yetu
Christopher Tin, arranger (Christopher Tin, Soweto Gospel Choir & Royal Philharmonic Orchestra)
Track from: Calling All Dawns

Best Classical Crossover Album

Tin, Christopher: Calling All Dawns
Lucas Richman, conductor (Sussan Deyhim, Lia, Kaori Omura, Dulce Pontes, Jia Ruhan, Aoi Tada & Frederica von Stade; Anonymous 4 & Soweto Gospel Choir; Royal Philharmonic Orchestra)

Resident Artists of Rise Up & Dance - Volume 1 (Popping)

In January, Culture Builds Community started its most intensive residency program yet: 10 weeks of transformative arts and cultural experiences in underserved communities. Internationally-known dancers are paired with local dancers with expertise in the same genres (African dance and two unique street dance styles: popping and krump). Together they are working with Dayton youth and community members of all ages to create and present a performance on March 19. The performance will address powerful themes of personal and community transformation told through music, dance and poetry. It is sure to awe and inspire audiences from all walks of life. We’d like to introduce you to the national artists and their local counterparts.

Working in the Twin Towers neighborhood of Dayton with Jean Howat-Berry, Director of East End Art Center, a program of East End Community Services Corporation are visiting artist Marie “Pandora” Medina and local artist Julius “Eclypse” Jenkins. Pandora specializes in popping, a robotic style of street dance that was developed on the West Coast during the 1970s funk music era, and for her high level of skill and precision in tutting, which draws its inspiration from Egyptian hieroglypics. Since her humble underground beginnings, Pandora has built a solid reputation over the years as a 1st place champion at various high level street dance battles, has taken on principle roles performing at prestigious theaters both nationally and internationally in Scandinavia and Europe, evoked a standing ovation from judges on So You Think You Can Dance, is a featured dancer in Disney’s Step Up 3D, and was personally cast by Step Up 3D director Jon M. Chu as Autumn in the online dance series THE LXD: Legion of Extraordinary Dancers. Although Pandora has achieved commercial successes, she remains firmly rooted in the underground street dance community and actively explores a multitude of avenues for her creative expression. She gains a great deal of inspiration through working with communities and has recently had the honor of exploring her Native American roots, as a resident artist at a Chickasaw reservation, of which she is a member. And, most of all, the movement within her soul.

Julius “Eclypse” Jenkins is co-founder of 20/Twenty Cru in Cincinnati, a choreography-based street-dance crew that has quickly become one of the most renowned crews in the Midwest. 20/Twenty Cru was a top 12 finalist on MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew in 2009 and is currently competing for a spot on the 2011 season. As a solo artist known for his skills in popping, Eclypse has judged and battled in competitions nationwide and is a Highlight Entertainer at Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg, IN. Eclypse is a talented and passionate performing artist with a natural ability to relate to people of all social, economic, and cultural backgrounds. He is honored to utilize his artistic skills, enthusiasm and personal life experiences to give back to a struggling urban community through mentoring, educating and believing in its cherished youth.

Studio Sinthesis shot video at some of the events so far. Check out Eclypse and Pandora starting at about 3:00.

Spotlight on Paddy Moloney with the Chieftains

The Chieftains are probably the best-known Celtic band in the world. And for good reason: they jump-started the traditional Irish music revival 50 years ago, and haven't paused for breath since. On March 6, the band will return to Dayton for a performance at the Schuster Center.

Piper Paddy Moloney and his mates have collaborated with musicians from many styles of music, from bluegrass to folk singers to the Rolling Stones and Luciano Pavarotti. For their regular performances, they always make a point of featuring young up-and-coming musicians and dancers (such as Jean Butler, below, three years before she hit it big in Riverdance), as well as some local talents.

Blown Away By Street Dancing

Last month, Cityfolk kicked off its most intensive Culture Builds Community residency yet. Over a span of ten weeks, internationally acclaimed artists and local artists are working together with Dayton community members of all ages, providing transformative arts and cultural experiences in underserved Dayton communities through dances and rhythms from the Island of Haiti to the urban communities of Los Angeles, CA.

One event that first week was a street dance lec/dem that took place at lunchtime at Sinclair Community College. I don’t know much about street dancing, so I knew I’d learn a thing or two. I trusted coordinator Kelsa Rieger to bring in the best of the best, so I knew I’d see skilled dancers. What I didn’t expect is to be blown away to the brink of tears.

The dancers spoke briefly about their styles then performed. They were freestyling (improvising) to music they clearly knew well and emphasized in inventive ways. The strength and control they showed was amazing. Though they were demonstrating two specific dance styles, each dancer had truly made the moves their own, which showed their mastery of their craft. It was an impressive display.

During the Q & A session that followed, they were both articulate and incredibly passionate about their art. They spoke of how they dance to express life, whether they’re grappling with tough situations and celebrating joy. They are committed to empowering younger kids through street dancing, so they have their own expressive outlet. Paying it forward, sharing their skills and the love of the art is central to what they do and why they do it.

It was Sparrow Faith who brought tears to my eyes. Someone asked the group to state what dancing meant to them. He answered that for him, it’s deeply spiritual, that street dance ‘battles’ are a conversation of souls, spoken with the body’s movements instead of words. That dancing can be cleansing, uplifting, freeing. I wish I could remember his words exactly so I could better share them with you, he said it so well. If only everyone had an outlet so powerfully positive, so deeply spiritual, so creatively expressive.

These dancers gave me—a suburban-raised 40-something woman with a love of string band music and tap dance—a window into their urban dance form and the culture that goes with it. I am humbled and a little awed by what it means for the people inside it. So don’t believe the media hype, the slick version of street dancing that you see on TV and in the movies. Look deeper. You will be rewarded.

Photos by Studio Sinthesis. See more pictures of the event on their Facebook page.

Spotlight on Le Vent du Nord

This time of the year, you may feel that you've had enough of the Canadian north wind already. But a warm north wind will be blowing into Dayton on February 22 when Le Vent du Nord takes the stage at UD's Boll Theatre. This French Canadian quartet, with its unusual instrumental front line of hurdy-gurdy, accordion and fiddle and vocals in French—plays traditional Québécois dance music which can warm up even the chilliest winter night. Winners of a Juno Award, they were named Ensemble of the Year at the 2010 Canadian Folk Music Awards. Find out why each concert “a high-octane joy ride from beginning to end”.