In a city renowned for its annual music festival that celebrates excellence and eclecticism, why not offer a dance festival that honors the same attributes?
With this in mind, the inaugural Ojai World Dance Festival, celebrating cultural diversity and artistic creativity, will take place April 20 at Libbey Bowl, site of many of the Ojai Music Festival's magical moments. Dance festival organizers also hope it will be a place where audiences find enjoyment and inspiration from vibrant and magnetic multicultural dance performances, featuring highly acclaimed artists from across Southern California.
Flamenco Santa Barbara
Alias Dance Company's junior team, focused on hip-hop.
Our goal is to create an Ojai tradition celebrating culture, connection and the human spirit through dance, says Isha Ferraz, lead organizer of the Ojai World Dance Festival (OWDF) and founder/artistic director of Dance Ojai, a collective at non-profit of dance teachers. and ensembles that embrace many art forms.
At a time of so much unrest and division in the world, she continued, we hope to bring unity and promote that common thread of humanity that we all share. And the arts are one way we can do that.
To this end, OWDF will feature 15 local dance ensembles whose specialties span a range of multicultural genres: Brazilian, folklorico, salsa, flamenco, Tahitian, Bollywood, Middle Eastern, belly dance and hip-hop. Several high school and middle school dance troupes from Ojai and Santa Barbara will also participate.
Dance Ojai belly dance troupe. (All photos courtesy of Isha Ferraz/Dance Ojai)
At the heart of what I do is bringing people together through dance, says Paulina Carey, whose oriental dance ensemble Dance Ojai will perform at OWDF. It's doing something joyful that makes people feel good. And that’s what we’re doing with this global festival. We want to showcase all forms of dance without borders or borders, just with open hearts and minds. We use the fabric of dance to connect people and increase their awareness and appreciation of the arts.
Expose people to new cultures
Carey, born in England, came to the United States with her family and began dancing at age 7.
I have practiced all the forms of traditional dance, she says, but when I went [University of California, Santa Barbara]I studied with a Middle Eastern dance ensemble and that's where I began my teaching career, which I still enjoy today.
Isha Ferraz, founder of Dance Ojai.
She traveled the world performing and teaching, and even hosted a bellydance TV show before coming to Ojai and falling in love with (and joining) the local arts community. In addition to teaching Bellydance to all ages (we have an 86-year-old woman who never misses a class), she periodically joins other Dance Ojai members to perform flash mob performances for the community.
People randomly see us dancing, and very often it makes them want to come to our classes, she says. Exposing people to new cultures and celebrating them together is essential.
Dance brings people together
Ferraz shares a similar passion for dance, having been born into a vibrant and energetic Puerto Rican family in Brooklyn where dancing was a big part of their culture.
My mother taught me salsa when I was very little, she remembers. Then she enrolled me in other dance classes, mainly Western styles. But I also enjoyed learning cultural styles like Indian classical dance, South Asian dance, Bollywood, jazz, hip-hop and belly dancing.
She taught dance while in school and after graduating from Belmont University in Nashville, then did the same in Austin before coming to Ojai 10 years ago to start her own dance studio. And while Ferraz appreciates different cultural styles (her salsa and Bollywood troupes will both perform at OWDF), her love of the art form goes beyond any specific genre.
Ojai Bollywood Dance Troupe
I see how dance can impact the community, how it brings people together, how it uplifts the spirit, she says. For a couple taking ballroom dancing classes, for example, it's a wonderful activity and gift to share. And, like food and music, dance is an integral part of how we express, connect and celebrate life.
A state of mind of joy and celebration
That’s why the core group of women who formed Dance Ojai are so enthusiastic and optimistic about what OWDF can mean for the community at large.
Dance Ojai supports and promotes dance as a means of wellness, and it's a way for us to give back because dance has so much importance in our lives, Ferraz says. By showcasing these traditional world styles at the festival, we hope that audiences will develop an appreciation and respect for the work and time put in by these artists and filmmakers who are on a mission to spread their traditions and art forms .
Santa Barbara City College Dance Company
It's not a rigid presentation, she adds, but an opportunity to expose people to things they may never have seen – and, hopefully, participate. We hope that those who participate will bring an open mind and above all a state of mind of joy and celebration. By simply participating, you are supporting and honoring these artists and helping to establish a tradition and celebration that will continue to grow.
Featured Artists
The following ensembles are currently scheduled to perform during the Ojai World Dance Festival:
Oxnard's Alias Dance Company (hip hop)
Ojais Bollywood, belly dancing and salsa dance troupes
Santa Barbara City College Dance
Kryya Dance Company, under the direction of Yamini Kalluri
Cassidy Linder and Co. of Ojai
Flamenco Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara Donettes High School Dance Team
Oh, ODaiko
Brazilian Cultural Arts Center
Santa Barbara
Ventura County Folklorico Fusion Mexicana Group
Ventura County Ori Tahiti
Nordhoff Dance Team
Ojai Antenna
The Ojai World Dance Festival will take place Saturday, April 20, from 7 to 9 p.m., at Libbey Bowl, 201 S. Signal St., Ojai. Tickets range from $10 to $25 and are available online at www.danceojai.org/ojaidancefestival.
