DCist Preview: Smithsonian Folklife Festival

GIVING VOICE: THE POWER OF WORDS IN AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE
This seems like it will be the most interesting of the themes, with numerous performances of theater, poetry, puppetry, cheerleading, comedy and storytelling, as well as a focus on "the role of radio in stimulating and disseminating Black expressive culture."

Giving Voice's food concessions will be selling American soul food classics like barbeque chicken and peach cobbler, as well as Louisiana-brewed Abita beer.

Daily Schedule:
Giving Voice has five event areas with new events beginning each hour. The Barbershop features storytelling; the Oratorium and the Stoop feature a hodge podge of storytelling, theatre, and poetry; the Young Wordsmiths focuses on programming and workshops for youth. It's a bit unclear what will be going on in the Radio Station area, but it seems there will be some displays about the importance of radio in Black history, as well as the airing of some particularly important radio shows.

Evening Performances:
>> At 6 p.m. on Friday, June 26 and Sunday, July 5, the Baird Auditorium of the Museum of Natural History will host spiritual a capella groups. The Heritage Signature Chorale performs on the 26th, and the Birmingham Sunlights are on the 5th.

>> This Saturday, June 27, several Giving Voice and Welsh performers will be at the Millenium Stage, including New York City's poet/rapper Toni Blackman, D.C.'s poet/author/playwright/storyteller Kenny Carroll, Welsh singer-songwriter/poet Gwyneth Glyn, Welsh folk artist Gareth Bonello, and members of big harp ensample Arpex.

>> On Wednesday, July 1 at 6 p.m., the Oratorium will host a Circle of Love Storytelling Session, and on Thursday, July 2 at 6 p.m., it hosts Just Kidding: A Conversation with Dick Gregory.

LAS AMÉRICAS: UN MUNDO MUSICAL (THE AMERICAS: A MUSICAL WORLD)
Las Américas is also very performance-based, including "artists [which] represent the rich diversity of emblematic musical styles in the United States and throughout the Americas, including Puerto Rican bomba, plena, and jíbaro music, Mexican son music, mariachi, Colombian vallenato, joropo, and currulao, Dominican merengue típico, bachata and salve, Venezuelan música llanera, Paraguayan polca, and Salvadoran chanchona music." That's a whole lot of musical styles. The Smithsonian claims this is "the final and most broad-reaching program of the 'Nuestra Música: Music in Latino Culture Smithsonian Folklife Festival living exhibitions series,' which perhaps means we won't get yet another year of this familiar theme.

Food options include both Central American and South American fare, including deep fried pork, pupusas, fried plantains, rotisserie chicken, and Peruvian salad. Beers include El Salvador's Pilsener and Aguila, as well as Peru's Cristal and Cusqueña.

Daily Schedule:
Like Giving Voice, Las Américas runs new programs every hour, but with only three staging areas. Folkways Salón and Salón de Baile feature performances, and La Peña has musical workshops, including percussion, harps, accordion and bomba.

Evening Performances:
Las Américas' evening performances all begin at 6 p.m. at the Folkways Salón.
>> On Sunday, June 28, there will be an evening concert titled ¡Viva Colombia! Costa a Costa, featuring Grupo Cimarrón, Las Cantadoras del Pacífico, and Estrellas del Vallenato. You can find more about these performers on the Folklife website.

>> On Thursday, July 2, a performance titled Viajando por las Américas will feature Nati Cano's Mariachi los Camperos, Maestros de Joropo Oriental and Chanchona los Hermanos Lovo.

>> On Friday, July 3, another evening concert, Strings Crossing Continents, will include Cathrin Finch and Grupo Cimarrón.

WALES SMITHSONIAN CYMRU
While we're sure Wales is an amazing and beautiful country, their exhibit at Folklife just doesn't look very interesting, especially since the other two are going to be dancing, singing, teaching us how to play instruments and performing their hearts out all day, every day. The Wales exhibit, on the other hand, is a bit more varied, and will "celebrate language, literature, and the spoken word, present crafts and occupational skills, share music and cooking, and evoke the spirit that powered the industrial revolution and is now championing sustainable solutions." Even more snoozarific is that they plan to "explore how age-old knowledge, skills, and materials continue to be refashioned, recycled and reinvented to meet modern demands and to continue to connect Wales to the world." Okay, maybe it won't be all that bad, but it sounds a wee bit too educational.

Food options include a Welsh lamb and vegetable stew, as well as Glamorgan sausage, which apparently is not your typical meat sausage at all, but molds bread, cheese, onion, mustard and egg to form the links. You'll also have your pick of the Welsh Tomos Watkin's beer and Stella Artois.

Daily Schedule:
Wales is divided into four areas. Rugby Club and Welsh Dragon highlight music; Story Circle is there for the kiddies; Taste of Wales focuses on Welsh cooking; The Square Mile is a mix of educational activities, from singing lessons to environmental issues.

Evening Performances:
>> One thing the Welsh have going for them is that they have an evening Pub Performance every night at 6 p.m. at the Rugby Club, a perfect spot to grab a beer and see some lively music outdoors. Most nights also have corresponding performances at the Welsh Dragon, highlights noted below.

>> On Friday, June 26, Wales presents Blodeugerdd's Song of the Flowers CD Release Celebration and Welsh Dance Party.

>> On Saturday, June 27, Ella Jenkins, Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer perform a Ralph Rinzler Memorial Concert.

>> On Thursday, July 2, the male voice choirs Only Men Aloud! and Parti Cut Lloi will perform.