Sadie Porter, Contributing Writer
Traditional dancers from over 18 countries, spanning from India to China to Mexico, congregated at the Cultural Arts Center at Glenn Allen on Aug. 15 for the 3rd annual Richmond International Dance Festival as a celebration of diversity and community.
From only representing a mere five countries at the first festival, to 16, to finally this year representing a total of 18 countries, the Richmond International Dance Festival has reached its largest audience yet.
Culture Encounters presented the event — a nonprofit organization that aims to bring immigrants in the Richmond region together. The immersive experience includes community dinners, school visits and workplace programs.
Amma Gatty, founder and executive director of Culture Encounters has seen the changes firsthand, starting out as an art summer camp for kids before shifting its focus to the exploration of cultures.
“The idea is for immigrants and locals to have spaces where they can truly connect and engage with each other,” Gatty said.
As culturally diverse as Richmond is, ethnic groups are separate into their own communities, isolating different cultural groups, according to Gatty.
The dance festival highlighted the importance of multi-cultural appreciation within the city of Richmond with community members gathered outside in the summer heat to support their family and friends.
“Every place has its own love language, whether that’s through food, language, culture or dance,” said Matthew Davenport, a festival attendee.
Seeing people from all cultures and identities come together in one place and sharing how they celebrate is meaningful, according to Davenport.
This kind of event encourages people to tap into their own cultural identity and allows individuals to show their appreciation for other countries’ traditions, Davenport said.
“There’s a lot of different opportunities for folks to kind of pick up a new hobby or learn something new,” said Christina Steward, a festival attendee.
Eric Luu, an experienced break dancer of 15 years, represents breaking and was a returning performer at the International Dance Festival, not representing a specific country.
From an early age, Luu had a lot of energy and was drawn to music, often dancing along and imitating moves he saw on television and the internet. He knew breaking was his niche after watching “America’s Best Dance Crew” and learning from a friend of his cousin.
Since then, Luu has competed nationally along the East Coast as a member of his own dance crew, Mystical Space Typhoon, while also serving as a judge at competitions and workshopping.
“This year feels more exciting,” Luu said.
Luu felt more confident in the promoters of the International Dance Festival this year due to having the Cultural Arts Center as the primary location with a more consolidated space, rather than the non-dedicated event space used years before.
“I think the work that culture encounters does, fills a space in Richmond that a lot of organizations try to do, which is to combine cultures and get people exposed to new types of thinking, new ways of living and about cultures that don’t usually get a spotlight,” Luu said.