International Organizations' Events

See the websites of Friendship Force International for more exchanges, and Dallas/Fort Worth International, the World Affairs Council and the Dance Council for listings of local international events; see listings below for travel/ volunteer opportunities. 

www.thefriendshipforce.org

www.dfwinternational.com

www.dallasworld.org/connections

www.thedancecouncil.org

Subscribe to DFW International weekly e-mail of events at:

http://dfwinternational.org/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/list/international

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Dallas Peace Center

Video on the Costa Rican Department of Peace - Rita Marie Johnson (who recently spoke in Dallas) http://dallaspeacecenter.org/SumDin/2008/Bios/Johnson/Videos

Dallas Peace Center 4301 Bryan St., #202 Dallas, TX 75204 214-823-7793 admin@dallaspeacecenter.org 

www.dallaspeacecenter.org  

We honor and support venues that promote constructive and respectful exchange between invited speakers and their audience. Views and opinions expressed at programs sponsored by the Dallas Peace Center are not necessarily those of the Center. Most importantly we strive for thoughts and actions that promote peace and justice in the world.

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World Peace Day 

Sunday, September 21, 2008

The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by the United Nations as an annual observance of global non-violence and ceasefire. Every year, people in all parts of the world honor peace in various ways on September 21st.

This year, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will ring the Peace Bell at United Nations Headquarters in New York in the company of the UN Messengers of Peace. He has called for a 24-hour cessation of hostilities on September 21st, and for a minute of silence to be observed around the world at noon local time.

In his statement issued to commemorate this year's Day of Peace, Secretary-General Ban said that "Peace is the United Nations' highest calling."

"It defines our mission. It drives our discourse. And it draws together all of our world wide work, from peacekeeping and preventive diplomacy to promoting human rights and development." 

The United Nations General Assembly adopted resolutions in 1981 and 2001 establishing the International Day of Peace and urging "all nations and people" to commemorate the Day as an opportunity to promote peaceful resolutions of conflicts and to honor a cessation of hostilities during the day.

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WorldFest

the region's newest and largest international festival

October 25, 2008 - Noon to 10:00 p.m.                      

Addison Circle Park, NW corner of Arapaho and Tollway, under the Addison water tower

12 noon till 10pm
Free parking - available at the northwest corner of the Dallas Parkway and Arapaho Road. A DART transit center is adjacent to the park.

ADMISSION: $5 for ages 4 and older.

At WorldFest guests will be immersed in the culture of Asia, Europe, Africa, Middle East and of course the Americas as they visit each of five continental pavilions. While traveling through the pavilions, children can participate in a special passport project that encourages and rewards as they learn about each country represented at the event. Additionally, festival guests will cheer at the Parade of Nations, dine on cuisine from around the world, play global games like Rugby and Bocce, enjoy the children’s workshops and International passport, shop in the International Marketplace, sip and learn at the International wine tasting tent, and enjoy dance and musical offerings representing our global diversity. 

Addison's WorldFest is produced by the Town of Addison in partnership with DFW International Community Alliance.

download flyer here
view website here
70 countries participating in

• Global Stages - 65 performing groups
• Food Court - dishes from 18 countries
• Marketplace - culture and shopping from 85 groups
• Global Games - 22 countries' sports and table games
• Children's Workshops - crafts and projects from 24 nations
• TurkFest - 12 booths and entertainment celebrating Turkey!

For more information about these and other events, please visit www.addisontexas.net http://www.dfwinternational.org/WorldFest or 1-800-ADDISON.

"Realizing the American dream....."
We are a network of over 1,600 internationally-focused civic, community and educational organizations in the Dallas / Fort Worth metroplex that embodies the cultural and economic vibrancy of the global community. Our Mission is to build mutual understanding and respect by linking diverse international cultural communities in North Texas. 

Want to learn to folkdance or contradance? Have a fun place to dance and experience different cultures?

• The Plaza Arts Center is home to folk dancing. The regular dance class is on Mondays from 7:30 to 10:00 pm. On September 22 a new class will begin with Clarence Teng, teacher. Many interesting social and traditional dances from around the world will be introduced, step by step during the class. NO partners needed. $5 each week.  Please visit the website www.plazaartscenter.com for details.

UPDATE: Please note that the folkdance class on next Monday (10/6) has been cancelled.  We'll resume the class from 7 to 9:30 pm on Monday 10/13 . 

Plaza Arts Center
1115 4th Ave., Carrollton, TX 75006
972-446-3200 Plaza Arts Center is on the town square in old downtown Carrollton, one block south and one block east of I-35E and Beltline.

• The Dallas International Folk Dancers

Folk Dance Every Friday Night From 8 to 10pm
Admission is $4 per person for adults, ages 10 – 17 are $1.00

Newcomers are always welcome. The first Friday of every month is especially good for newcomers, as we teach simple dances and basic folk dance styling. No partner is necessary.

Every Friday night, people from all walks of life gather in Dallas to enjoy the culture and flavor of numerous lands beyond--through their dances. Dances may be done in a circle, line or as couples--though you don't need to bring a partner. Instruction is provided and is user friendly. Dances are taught early in the evening, followed by request dancing.

The style of the dance differs by country, as does the music, so there is always something for everyone. You might learn a couple dance from Scandinavia, line dance from Eastern Europe or a circle dance from Israel. If you like to dance, this is the place to come: You'll meet friendly people, get some exercise and experience a little diversity! 

Dance, Etc. Studio
15757 Coit Road Suite 340
Northwest corner of Coit and Arapaho (North Dallas)
Dallas Texas 75248

http://www.texasfolk.us/difd/

• North Texas Traditional Dance Society
  Contra dances are held on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Saturdays of every month, 8-11 pm,
  at the Plaza Arts Center, 1115 4th Ave, Carrollton, TX 75006
  
  Admission is $6 for members, $8 for non-members, and $4 for children 12 and under and students with ID (worth it just for the music). The hall has a wonderful soft sprung wood floor, and the dances use live music. Beginners are encouraged (but not required) to come to a brief introductory lesson at 7:45. pm.

Contra dancing is an evening of fun, energetic, no-pressure dancing to traditional American music played by an "old time" band. You’ll join dozens of other dancers moving together with easy walking steps, to directions from a caller. More technically: Contra dance is done in a formation of two long lines facing each other, with your partner in the other line across from you. You and your partner go through a sequence of steps with the couple next to you, resulting in the two couples trading places. This is repeated with the next couple, and so on down the line. More whimsically: In a contra dance, a new person of the opposite sex is thrust into your arms every 30 seconds.

English Country dancing is similar to Contra dancing, but is generally less vigorous and more "refined".

No partners are needed. Everyone is welcome: singles, couples, young, and old. In fact, we encourage everyone to change partners between dances to meet new people, make new friends, and maybe learn some new tips from fellow dancers.

You don't need to know how to dance. If you enjoy music and are enthusiastic, you can be a contra dancer. The caller explains the dance before you begin, and then prompts you through the dance. Most dances use the same 8-10 basic moves, just in a different order.

New dancers may wish to come to the 15-minute "everything you need to know" lesson before a dance. It is really easy ... and you’ll have fun meeting new people while you learn.

English Country dances are held on the 4th Saturday of every month, 8-11 pm,
at the Quaker Friends Meeting House, 5828 Worth St, Dallas, TX (Mapsco 36 Y).

There is no fixed admission charge, but a donation is requested.
The hall has a nice sprung wood floor, and the dances use recorded music.
Dancers are invited to bring a dance to lead. 

Check the schedule for both these groups at http://www.geocities.com/nttds/sched.html

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Sunday Concert Series 

Mu Phi Epsilon and the Dallas Public Library

October 12: Piano Students from St. Olaf’s College playing compositions of Nordic composers.

Place: J. Erik Jonsson Central Library Auditorium
            1515 Young Street, Dallas TX
Time:  Sunday, 3:00 pm. 
Concerts last about 1 hour. There is parking on the street, in lots and in the underground library garage accessed from Wood St. in back of the library.

FREE and open to the public
See whole schedule and programs, bios of performers and changes as they occur: http://www.muphiepsilondallas.org/sunday_concert_series.htm

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Balkan Music Nights

Enjoy two very special Friday evenings at The Blue Danube European Restaurant & Café in Arlington! There will probably be informal/spontaneous line- and single-dancer dancing in the restaurant.  (It has never been otherwise at any Balkan concert!) Think Greek or Jewish wedding... No lessons necessary!

Friday, October 10, 2008 – KAL, “the Rom Sound and Fury” from Belgrade! Recording artists on Asphalt-Tango (see music links below).

Friday, November 7, 2008 -- KABILE, one of Bulgaria's premier wedding bands, reunited for a national tour and CD release!

Admission: For each concert, cash-only price of $35 in advance or $40 after deadline (see below). Price includes Buffet Dinner at 6 PM followed by Concert at 8 PM.

Location and Directions:
2230-A W Park Row Dr, Arlington, TX 76016-3407
Chef/Owner: Miroslav Badonsky
Reservations: 817-861-5900
Full service bar
Hours: Mon-Thu: 11a.m.-9p.m., Fri: 11a.m.-10p.m.,
Sat: 5-10p.m., Sun: 11am-2:30p.m.

KAL
sponsored by Voice Of Roma, http://www.voiceofroma.com/
Tickets (cash only): $35 by Oct. 4, $40 after Oct. 4

KAL, a young Romani (Gypsy) band whose self-titled album topped the European world music charts in April 2006, is making its second tour of the United States in September/October 2008. Playing music from Bosnia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Macedonia and their home base in Serbia, the 7-piece band features a "dynamic blend of traditional instruments, rock'n'roll in attitude, fueled on dance beats and rooted in the Balkan blues. In their wit, imagination, ability to throw disparate sounds together and refusal to play by "folkloric" rules, KAL mark themselves as both part of Balkan Gypsy tradition and 21st Century Roma cultural activists." (Garth Cartwright, author of “Princes Among Men: Journeys with Gypsy Musicians”). The members of KAL are Dragan Ristic (guitar & lead vocal), Dragan Mitrovic (accordion), Vladan Mitrovic (accordion & vocals), Djordje Belkic (violin), Branko Isakovic (double bass), Neat Junuzi (percussion) and Vladimir Stojkovic (percussion).

More information at http://www.voiceofroma.com/ or www.VoiceofRoma.com
http://www.myspace.com/romakal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3jAjjik0Kk&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3jAjjik0Kk&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF7LzLG04Y0&feature=relate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te9Bc54umPA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Te9Bc54umPA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FpwZFPvnmQ&feature=related

KABILE
Tickets (cash only):
$35 by Nov. 1, $40 after Nov. 1

This multi-talented group of six musicians (five on this tour) perform the hauntingly expressive melodies, irregular rhythms, and fiery dance tempos of their native Thrace in southern Bulgaria, on traditional instruments: kaval (folk flute), gaida (bagpipe), tambura (guitar), tapan (large drum) and accordion. Their vocalist Donka Koleva was the featured singer in the film, "Everything is Illuminated". 

Traditional Bulgarian folk music has attracted worldwide attention and scholarship for its incredible virtuosity and musicianship. Varied rhythms combine with gorgeous harmonies, ancient instruments with modern, and traditional styles are rendered with a modern sensibility to produce an exquisite musical brew that is bound to enthrall roots music enthusiasts and novices alike. Kabile is a top favorite in the south and east Thrace regions of Bulgaria for weddings, baptisms and other cultural celebrations. Dzhenko Andreev (gajda/bagpipe), Angel Krastev (tapan/ large drum), Nikolay Doktorov (kaval/end-blown wooden flute), Nikolay Kolev (gadulka/folk fiddle), Ivan Handzhiev (accordion and vocals), and Donka Koleva (vocals) are excellent representatives of this traditional style. Individually, each member of the band has an exceptional history of scholarship and performance. Collectively they form one of the most respected ensembles in Bulgarian Thrace.

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Documenting China: Contemporary Photography and Social Change

Crow Collection of Asian Art
2010 Flora St
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 979-6430

WHEN: Saturday, May 17, 2008 - Sunday, September 28, 2008

In the new exhibition Documenting China: Contemporary Photography and Social Change, Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service partners with Bates College Museum of Art in Lewiston, Maine, to explore the modern essence of the most populous nation on earth. Through the dramatic works of seven Chinese photographers, visitors will experience the country from an insider’s point of view. With raw black-and-white and color images, photographers Liu Xiaodi, Jiang Jian, Zhang Xinmin, Luo Yongjin, Zhou Hai, Lu Yuanmin, and Zhou Min unveil the truth about China’s internal struggle—a battle between modern industrialism and the traditional, agrarian past that has sustained the country for thousands of years.

http://www.crowcollection.org/

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