Encore Spring 2019

International Folk Dance Ensemble

Arts in the Rockies

Laura Garff performs with her fellow International Folk Dancers in the famous Ukrainian traditional dance “Hopak.” The dance has become a national symbol for Ukraine.

This March, BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble embarked on a tour to Wyoming and Colorado. They performed in Green River, Wyoming, and in the Colorado cities of Longmont, Colorado Springs, Alamosa, Sterling, La Junta, and Loveland. The group also held workshops with Synergy Dance Academy and other local schools. “Workshops are fun because you have that one-to-one connection with people,” says dancer Isaiah Vela. “[It’s] something that you don’t get with a performance.”

Of their tour Vela says, “Colorado has so much love for the arts, and as a group we bring the love for dance and cultures. It’s not common to see a group that can perform dances from all over the world. We felt appreciated.”