Participants from all over Saskatchewan will arrive in Assiniboia on October 19 for the third Ethnic Jubilee to be convened at the Prince of Wales Cultural and Recreation Centre. The first Ethnic Jubilee happened in 2015, followed by a subsequent event in 2017.
The Ethnic Jubilee Committee is formed of local citizens including Shelly Dahlman, Sharon Schauenberg, Glen Hall, Linda Hall, Laurie Stianson, Cecette Rhodes, Judy Chubb, Randy Gaveronski and Kathy Bergeron. The committee has planned and scheduled a daylong Saturday program in celebration of Canadian diversity and multiculturalism. The doors for the event will open at 11 a.m. with admission for adults priced at $5. Children under the age of six are allowed in for free. Don’t miss the opening ceremonies beginning at 12:30 p.m. For children, the Kids Corner at the Ethnic Jubilee is running from 2-4 p.m.
Various organizations and ethnicities will be represented at the Ethnic Jubilee, including the Lakota First Nations, the Greek band Arkadia, African and Japanese drummers and Tilted Kilts – an Irish/ Scottish folk band set to perform at the POW on Saturday night.
“We want to show that Assiniboia is a diverse, cultural community,” said Kathy Bergeron, a committee member.
One of the many groups scheduled to appear at the Ethnic Jubilee is the Noopura Dance Academy, a dance troupe which is part of the Regina Malayalee Association. The Noopura Dance Academy teaches South Indian classical dances to children while presenting excellence and inspiration through expressive movements. The children from Noopura Dance Academy will perform a fusion style of dance by integrating steps taken from two classical forms known as Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam. Their songs will be in the Malayalam language, which is spoken in Kerala, a province in southern India.
A Korean contingent will do an instrumental performance as well as the mask dance known as talchum. This traditional mask dance is usually staged during particular occasions such as the Lunar New Year. This form of dance, originating from a province in North Korea, uses different types of masks to demonstrate an array of emotions.
The Blakey Irish Dance team has members aged from 4-33, substantiating that Irish dance is meant for all ages. The team’s costumes were handmade in the United Kingdom by the Manchester-based dressmaker, Avoca Celtic Design. Their traditional costumes feature detailed collars, oversized arms and cuffed sleeves and are made with black velvet and embossed with coloured embroidery and Swarovski crystals. Blakey has dance schools throughout Western Canada, including Saskatoon and Regina.
The Daughters of Penelope – a non-profit created to support Hellenic culture – will perform traditional and modern dances from the various regions of Greece.
The above list is by no means exhaustive and represents just a few of the performers and cultural organizations coming to Assiniboia’s Ethnic Jubilee. Attend the Prince of Wales on October 19 and enjoy exciting presentations from every continent. Also, take the opportunity to taste the numerous foods on display from every global corner at this indoor fair acclaiming Canada’s diversity.
