"The Truest Expression of a People Is in its Dance and in its Music." (Agnes de Mille)

Buchae-Ch’um. One of the most popular traditional Korean folk dances, colorful costumes and shifting geometrical designs are combined with the grace of the music to create the illusion of being surrounded by a garden of flowers.An evening of folk dances from Korea, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, and Ukraine. Tickets are $15 and are available online and at the door. Performances by: JUNG Traditional Korean Dance Academy, Barynya Russian Dance Ensemble, Calpulli Mexican Dance Company, and more. 

• Purchase ticket online:
  
• Cost: $15 per ticket
• Open seating
• Purchase receipt necessary to pick up tickets
• All tickets have to be picked up at the ticket window, starting from Friday, Jan. 13 at 6:30pm through Saturday, Jan. 14 at 8:00pm (half hour before the performance starts). Please bring your receipt with you.

How to Buy your Tickets

• 
• By check issued and mailed to New York Encounter, 600 Third Avenue, Second Floor, New York, NY 10016. Please specify "For Play Ticket." A receipt will be sent by e-mail (please be sure to provide your e-mail).
• At the door from the evening of Friday, Jan. 13th, through Saturday at 7:45pm

Why do we watch dance?

You can speak about beauty. You can write about beauty. But we all know that it is the experience of seeing beauty in tangible form before us that is often most powerful. Dance is much more than mere movements of the body. Dance captures the dignity of a human being in a way that is accessible to all. This is the beauty we respond to in the art of dance.

Dance can be the simplest form of entertainment—known to the earliest of civilizations—and at the same time, the most complex and technical of art forms. It is the most raw, visceral physical expression of human desires. Through the rise of an arm, the positioning of the feet, or the tilt of the neck, a dancer can convey happiness, anger, fear, or hope. Dance portrays the reality of the human condition in a way that everyone can understand.

The evening's traditional dance presentations from a variety of cultures and traditions show us that dance is common to us all. Every culture has a way of capturing the history and spirit of its people through dance. In this way, dance is a common thread that serves to remind us of our common experience, whether we are from lands as diverse as Nigeria and Russia. At the same time, the diversity in the styles recalls our attention to the tremendous capacity we have for cultural uniqueness and the importance of appreciating the variations that add color to the fabric of our shared human experience.

We invite you to enjoy a night in which we celebrate the beauty of this city—a true microcosm of cultural diversity, for where else could you bring together Russian, Korean, Ukrainian, Nigerian and Mexican dancers together on one night? When you watch, take note of the fact that folk dance is more than the sum of its parts—the product we view is the result of thousands of years of passing along a tradition that expresses a culture not in a single moment in time, but in a way that bridges time.

About the Calpulli Mexican Dance Company:

Calpulli Mexican Dance Company’s performances are like the traditions of Mexico: colorful, passionate and inviting. Founded in 2003, Calpulli established a vibrant repertoire of dance with live music featuring cherished dance traditions and lesser known regional dance works from across Mexico. Glorious costumes, contagious rhythms, and captivating performers are Calpulli’s trademarks. The company has toured from coast-to-coast in the USA, was featured at the main stage at Carnegie Hall, and serves family and youth across New York with community programs. Under the artistic direction of Noemy Hernandez, the company hopes to expand its touring internationally and continue to create inspiring works for all audiences to enjoy.

Costumes of meticulous detail--many hand-made in New York City and Mexico--represent Native American, European, and African influences. Musicians perform a broad repertoire including Caribbean songs, Aztec drums, and the famous music of the mariachi. Talented performers give life to the traditions with palpable emotion. Our goal is to enthrall in performance, expand audience’s knowledge and appreciation of Mexican dance forms, and respectfully explore tradition as relevant in the United States incorporating other artforms such as photography, theater, and original musical compositions.

Noches de VeracruzMexika Tiawi

Ml Huasteca

About the Barynya ensemble:

The Russian music, dance and song ensemble Barynya , established in 1991, is world renowned as the premier Russian folk group.  Barynya presents Russian, Cossack, Ukrainian, Russian Jewish, and Russian Gypsy traditional dancing, music, songs, and virtuoso performances on instruments including the balalaika, balalaika-contrabass, and garmoshka (Russian folk button accordion). Barynya has been invited to perform at some of the most prestigious cultural venues in the United States, including Carnegie Hall in New York City, the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, the Smithsonian Institute of America in Washington D.C., the United Nations in New York, and the Russian Embassy in Washington D.C.

Barynya is globally recognized and has entertained dignitaries, politicians, celebrities and organizations around the world. The group performed at the black-tie Gala after the Liberty Medal was presented to former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev by President George H.W. Bush in 2008. The prestigious event was attended by over one thousand dignified guests including Tom Brokaw, Dikembe Mutumbo and Van Cliburn. The dance ensemble’s latest major concert tours include:  Australia (2011), Hong Kong (2010), Canada, Mexico (2009), United States (2008).

Barynya also performs annually at the Russian Nobility Ball for the Russian Nobility Association in New York. Members of the ensemble have been invited to perform at many film premiers and celebrity parties, including the official post-Grammy Award parties in New York and for private events hosted by Barbara Walters, Elton John, the Rolling Stones, and Tommy Hilfiger.

In January 2009, Mikhail Smirnov, the founder and Artistic Director of Barynya, was invited as one of the eight judges on NBC’s hit dance show, "Superstars of Dance". Mr. Smirnov and the Barynya dance ensemble were both featured on the show—a breathtaking international dance competition led by executive producers Nigel Lythgoe and Simon Fuller (American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance) and hosted by Michael Flatley ("Lord of the Dance") and Susie Castillo, a former Miss USA.

Barynya Gypsy Dance

Barynya Jewish Dance

Barynya Gypsy Dance