Pitt-Bradford to hold One World Cultural Festival

The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s annual One World Cultural Festival will be held Saturday, Feb. 22, and will feature a performance and workshop by Sukanya Burman Dance.

The public is invited to attend the annual festival, which will begin at 5 p.m. in the Frame-Westerberg Commons. The theme for this year’s event is “Heritage and Roots: Exploring Ancestral Traditions, Crafts, and Storytelling.”

The Cultural Festival is intended for all ages. Admissions is free, but donations will be accepted and used to support next year’s festival.

This year’s festival will feature many of the popular events from previous Cultural Festivals, including sampling food from all over the world, basket weaving, henna designs, and dancing from Pitt-Bradford’s Diamond Steppers step group.

This year’s featured performer is Sukanya Burman Dance of Jamestown, N.Y., a contemporary dance company that will give a 45-minute performance at 7 p.m. in the Mukaiyama University Room. The performance will be an overview of Indian classical dances, history, aesthetics and philosophy.

With deep roots Bharatanatyam and Kathak, classical Indian dance forms, and modern dance, the company aims to explore different ways of movement to tell stories relevant to today’s world. 

The company is directed by Sukanya Burman, who has extensive experience in Indian classical and modern dance and has performed nationally and internationally.

The dance company has performed, conducted workshops and participated in community engagement throughout New York state, including at the Albright Knox Gallery and Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo, the Under One Sky Dance Festival in New York City, and the Chautauqua Institution. Last year the company performed at the Saugandhikam Dance Academy in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 

For more information on the annual Cultural Festival, visit www.upb.pitt.edu/culturalfestival.