BYU American Folk Dance Ensemble represents CIOFF USA at International Festival

BYU students participated in the first ever Camagua Virtual International Festival, put on by the Council of International Organizations of Folklore Festivals (CIOFF) on December 9-11. BYU’s American Dance Ensemble was featured on the first day, December 9, and they performed two pre-recorded dances. The first was a western line and swing dance called “Boot Kickin’” and the second was a traditional American percussive clogging piece called “Western Wildfire.” “We are so excited to have BYU students participating in this virtual Cuba festival,” said Jeanette Geslison, artistic director for the BYU American Folk Dance Ensemble. “CIOFF International is celebrating its 50th year since its inception and this virtual festival will honor and pay tribute to the unique efforts of preserving cultural heritage by connecting dance and music groups on this international platform.” CIOFF is under the umbrella of UNESCO, and it sponsors festivals with the goal of preserving intangible cultural heritage by connecting, sharing, and exchanging cross-culturally. The Camagua International Festival normally takes place each year in Cuba, but this year the festival is fully virtual. This is the first time that the BYU American Dance Ensemble has participated in the Camagua festival. They represented CIOFF USA, and they were featured among 39 international folklore performing groups. The performance, and the rest of the festival was streamed around the world via Youtube (Camagua Folk Dance Festival), Facebook (Camagua Folk Dance Festival), Twitter (@camaguafolkdan1), and Instagram (camaguafolkdancefestival.cuba). BYU students participated in the first-ever Camagua Virtual International Festival, put on by the Council of International Organizations of Folklore Festivals (CIOFF) on December 9-11.