Transform your cultural awareness at Seattle Center Festál: Diwali: Lights of India, Saturday, noon – 6 p.m. Oct. 20, at Seattle Center Armory. Diwali: Lights of India celebrates light over darkness and good over evil as it highlights Indian presence in our region with live music, dance, visual exploration, authentic foods and goods, workshops, demonstrations and hands-on learning for kids and adults.
Now in its sixth year, this festival showcases the arts and culture of India, adapted from and closely following Diwali, the popular annual autumn celebration in India.
On the Armory Stage, watch classical, folk and contemporary dances of India, along with a cultural attire show featuring Kanchipuram sarees and silks and a presentation on “Gatka,” a form of Punjabi martial arts. Newly added is a performance fusing the West African Talking drum with “Nattuvangam,” which incorporatesabstract vocal syllables nto an South Indian classical dance called Bharatanatyam.”
Other activities include: henna tattooing, face painting, clay Ganesha making, flower mandalas, workshops to create your own puppet for a puppet show, turban tying (Sikh style) and temple music by violinist Maestro Ganesh Rajagopalan. Taste the rich and spicy flavors of India with free vegetarian food, Ayurvedic cooking demonstrations and Roti making.
For more information, visit Diwali: Lights of India’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/vccfestivals
Seattle Center Festál is a public program presented by Seattle Center in partnership with Vedic Cultural center Sammamish. Admission is free-of-charge. For more information on this festival, visit facebook.com/vccfestivals, and to learn more about this collection of ethnic cultural events and other Seattle Center public programming, visit www.seattlecenter.com or call 206-684-7200.
