Reviews by Loribelle Austria and Jackie Doming
Chilean Pavilion
If you’re looking for some awesome live music, dancing, and delicious food, the Chilean Pavilion is the place to be! This pavilion began 34 years ago and it just keeps getting better and better. The live band, Descarga Latina, used many different instruments (harp, violin, drums, flute, etc) to audibly portray the beautiful Chilean culture.
The show also consisted of a dance group from Toronto called Grupo Chile and they were amazing. It is such a treat to see people from across the country / world come together in celebration of their culture. The combination of percussion, vocals, and Latin dancing is enough to have you off your feet and swaying your hips.
If you can’t get enough, there are many places in Winnipeg that you can go to for Latin dance lessons. Be sure to try their empanadas but if you miss out, you can always visit The Chilean Corner at the Forks.
Punjab Pavilion
Who, what or where is Punjab?
Punjab is a small northwestern state in India. The state is heavily focused on the agricultural industry, but don’t let its humble farming values fool you. The pavilion features uplifting entertainment with over 20 different dance groups, delicious Indian delicacies from Clay Oven and some stunning jewellery displays.
With savory dishes like butter chicken, chana masala (chickpeas) and naan bread, the dining at this pavilion is easily irresistible. The true highlight, however, is the massive on-stage dance party the audience is invited to at the end of the show.
Japanese Pavilion
You may notice that all of the ambassadors and the performers are only partially Japanese. This is because their ancestors moved to Canada many years ago and they have since Westernized themselves. It is very seldom that you find a Japanese person who was raised in Canada and is still fluent in Japanese. Despite this, they are all very knowledgeable about their history and culture.
There are approximately 15,000 Japanese (full and partial) people living in Manitoba today. If you visit the Japanese Cultural Centre (On McPhillips), you’ll find different Japanese trinkets to purchase, language lessons you can enroll in, as well as karate and taiko classes (Japanese drumming).
Israeli Pavilion – Shalom Square
What Israel lacks in size, it makes up for with beauty, talent and some of Folklorama’s tastiest dishes.
This year, Shalom Square brought in two world class Israeli folk dance groups – Mexico City’s Anajnu Veatem, and Winnipeg’s Chai Folk Ensemble. Impressive is an understatement when describing the elegant form and contagious charisma of their dancers. Their talent was matched only by the live singers and band accompanying them on stage.
From their succulent platter of potato bourekas, falafel balls, pita bread and hummus dip, to their world class performance, every single aspect of the pavilion was top notch.
Photos by Ron Cantiveros | Filipino Journal
