By Lindsay Norman
Passport to the World will be the theme for this year’s International Festival April 11-13 on NE Campus.
Cultural events will include live music and performances, panel discussions from students across the globe and diverse ethnic foods.
The festival will include performances from all walks of life, including Grammy-winning band Brave Combo and local African drum and dance ensemble Bandan Koro as well as NE instructor Stan Paschal’s German opera. Diversity and Inclusion will host a sponsored luncheon and panel discussion with students from around the world. Numerous food trucks will also be on site to provide students with the experience of diverse cuisines.
For the past three decades, Brave Combo, a band from Denton, has perfected a world music mix that includes salsa, meringue, rock, cumbia, conjunto, polka, zydeco, classical, cha cha, the blues and more. The group will perform noon–1 p.m. April 13.
Bandan Koro, formed in 2009 to provide African dance and drum performances as well as educational and cultural activities, will open for the April 12 Center Corner luncheon.
The Visit India presentation will provide a look at India and authentic Indian cuisine. On the evening of April 12, Paschal and his students will present a German opera followed by a German dance from the folk-dancing club Texanischer Schuhplattler Verein.
Diversity and Inclusion’s sponsored luncheon will begin at noon April 11 in the NE Library’s Heritage Room.
The last day of the festival, April 13, will feature several performances, including Irish dancing 10:30-10:50 a.m. followed by NE music associate professor Philippe Baugh’s Latin Jazz Club 11-11:20 a.m. and NE music instructor Warren Dewey’s percussion ensemble 11:30-11:50 a.m.
