You, the audience, the artists, the funders, and hundreds of volunteers shine brightly to sustain us year after year. For this, we thank you and honor the thousands of people who come together to make it all possible. In the same spirit, we continue each year to prepare, organize and present another San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, trusting that you, our dear audience members, will come to participate in the ritual. And the sun s daily return is a powerful metaphor for renewal.
Every night we sleep trusting that the sun will rise again in the morning.
It makes me pause when I am reminded that all life on earth depends on the sun s existence for survival. There are so many myths, rituals, and creation stories centered on the Sun the center of our solar system and the nearest star. From this confluence, emerged this year s Festival theme: Return of the Sun. Each year, these shows are created around a story, and this year master storyteller Brenda Wong Aoki chose to tell the story of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, an ancient Japanese creation myth. This program celebrated its 15th Anniversary Season this year, presenting dance from five world cultures to over 11,000 Bay Area children in kindergarten through sixth grade. At the same time, we were in the process of developing our annual arts education program for children, called People Like Me. On the Sunday before Inauguration Day, the dancing seemed particularly joyful with words of anticipation echoing throughout the crowds. Although the weather outside the Palace of Fine Arts was dreary and cold as usual, there was a spark in the air the excitement of a new era dawning following the election of a hopeful president. This is the Bay Area dance ritual that so many people look forward to each year but this year s experience felt palpably different. Two long weekends were filled with an awe-inspiring presentation of dance from around the world performed to cheering audiences, with long lines of people waiting for someone to leave so that a seat would become available. 2 Welcome In January, thousands of dancers and musicians participated in the annual audition process for this Festival.
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