Thursday, February 03, 2000

Wilmington, N.C. -The cultures and countries represented at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and in the community will be celebrated at the seventh annual Intercultural Festival from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 19, in the Hawk's Nest at the University Union. Food, dancing, music, traditional clothing, and exhibits will showcase the rich cultural diversity of the area. The performance schedule is listed below.

· 11 a.m. "World Tales" - Hobey Ford and his Golden Rod Puppets. Winner of puppetry's highest honor and recipient of three Jim Henson Foundation Grants, Hobey Ford is known for excellence in puppetry performance and craft.

· 11:30 a.m. "Do You Want to Play with Us?" - Ogden Elementary School fifth graders. The students will share activities learned from a beginning Russian language and culture class.

· 11:45 a.m. "African Folk Narratives" - Lloyd Wilson, Wilmington performer and storyteller

· 12:15 p.m. "Traditional Greek Dances" - St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church dancers

· 12:30 p.m. "Songs from France" - professional soprano artist Joy Murrell

· 12:45 p.m. "Classical Dance of India" - Cape Fear Cultural Association of India

· 1 p.m. "Music of the World" - Mappamundi. This North Carolina Band will perform acoustic music from all around the world, including Eastern and Western Europe, the British Isles, and Latin America.

· 1:30 p.m. "Okinawan Traditional Dance" - Miyagi Ryukyu Dance School and Okinawa Kenjin Kai of Jacksonville

· 1:50 p.m. "African Drum Ensemble" - John Rack, assistant professor of music at UNCW, and his students

· 2:20 p.m. "Swedish Folk Dancing" - Port City Swedes

· 2:35 p.m. "Vietnam Then and Now" - Le Trinh, UNCW international student from Vietnam

Groups sponsoring display booths at the festival include: UNCW Japanese class, UNCW Office of International Programs, Scottish Society of Wilmington, UNCW Spanish Club, Cape Fear Cultural Association of India, Peace Corps, Citizens for International Understanding, UNCW German Club, UNCW French Club, Port City Swedes, Italian Heritage Society, Wilmington Sister City Commission, and student from China, Finland, Ecuador, and Tanzania.

All events are free and open to the public. For more information, call Heather Smith at 962-7009.