Carlene Dowell
2014-15 Folklife Apprenticeship Award recipient Carlene Dowell lives in Cumberland, Maryland, where she raises specialty wool sheep and alpaca on her farm, The PrAiry. Her interest in fiber arts started when she was living and working in Wyoming, raising and showing Afghan hounds as a hobby. During this time, she began experimenting with spinning the hair of Afghan hounds blended...
Tinkus San Simon
Northern Virginia is the epicenter of a vibrant Bolivian community that took root in the United States starting in the 1980s. As of the 2010 census, over 30,000 Bolivian Americans reside in the state. This constitutes the largest Bolivian-born population of any state in the country. Dance traditions are a major focus of cultural continuity for Bolivian immigrants in Arlington...
The Green Fields of America
Four decades ago, renowned musician and folklorist Mick Moloney gathered some of the finest Irish American musicians and dancers to perform at the Bicentennial Festival of American Folklife. Overwhelming interest in that program led Moloney and friends to form the Green Fields of America, the first group on either side of the Atlantic to bring together Irish vocal, instrumental, and...
Samba Mapangala & Orchestre Virunga
Despite having made his home in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. for nearly two decades, Samba Mapangala retains the title of “East Africa’s most beloved singer.” With an astonishing high tenor voice that has been described as “melting in the ears,” Mapangala offers trenchant and uplifting commentaries on daily life in East Africa and beyond, while the rich melodies...
Professor Horn’s Punch & Judy Show
Punch and Judy, the hilarious, slapstick hand puppetry tradition, was first brought to England from Italy more than 300 years ago; by a century later, it had made its way to the United States, with some of the earliest shows taking place in Maryland. According to a 1902 publication, Punch and Judy first appeared in the state at a show...
Penn Lions
From traditional dance ensembles to step teams and ritual celebrations, on-campus cultural organizations at colleges and universities have long offered students who come from a shared heritage the opportunity to reinforce their identity and traditions. The Penn Lions, an award-winning lion dance troupe at the University of Pennsylvania, are one such group. Dating back over two thousand years, lion dance...
Music from China
From their home on the edge of New York City’s dynamic Chinatown, the vibrant arts organization Music from China has just celebrated 35 years as a premiere U.S. institution “on the crossroads of East and West, the traditional and contemporary.” The organization is best known for its eponymous ensemble that delightfully performs the string and wind music of China, known...
Grupo Nematatlín
Nematatlín (pronounced neh-mah-tah-TLEEN) means “the singers” in the Indigenous Náhuatl language. It is a name that encapsulates the sweet sound and iconic power of the group that bears its name. Grupo Nematatlín plays son jarocho, the signature folk music of the state of Veracruz on Mexico’s Gulf Coast. The name jarocho refers to both the people and culture of Veracruz’s...
Drums No Guns
For over 20 years, Drums No Guns has brought together people of all ages and backgrounds through the percussive arts. The nonprofit performing arts organization’s interactive performances promote youth nonviolence and community healing through diverse percussion traditions, most notably unlocking the rhythmic possibilities of buckets and other recycled materials from the junkyard. From the New York City subway to street...
Andes Manta
Masters of more than 35 traditional instruments, the four Lopez brothers in Andes Manta—Fernando, Luis, Bolivar, and Jorge—bring the vibrant and intricate music of the Indigenous peoples of South America’s Andes Mountains to the 79th National Folk Festival. From the haunting melodies of the highlands played on the panpipes to the joyous dance rhythms of village festivals and life cycle...
