Yesterday I attended a fundraising at the George Washington University. The event was organized to compensate for the donation fatigue for the devastating earthquake in Pakistan in the aftermath of Katrina. The repertoire of shows was simply majestic starting with solo bas guitar performances by two young MA students at the GWU whose names I unfortunately forgot. It only got better, featuring a professional Middle Eastern dance group with breathtakingly graceful Oriental dancers, and an exquisite tango performance by two virtuoso tango dancers- the man and the woman mesmerized their audience with the anger, love, passion, drama of their larger-than-life performance. They reminded me of how much I would have loved visiting Buenos Aires. The fundraising also featured Kardelen, a popular Turkish folklore troupe whose mission is to promote the folklore tradition and culture of the Anatolian region in Turkey - laud applause broke as soon as the host invited Kardelen on the scene and they stole the show with the elegance, rythm, and beauty of their choreography. As it turns out, the Kardelen Dance Ensemble is something of a celebrity in the DC area.
Folklore was the forte of the fundraiser: the outfits were timeless and regal. I was taken back into ancient time, when culture was still pristine and authentic. So many of these ornate details are lost now that it makes performances like this one an invaluable contribution to the cultural mosaic of our rapidly shrinking global village.