Keepers Of Tradition
 
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Angkor Dance Troupe, Lowell, Massachusetts, 1999. Photo by Maggie Holtzberg.
Rancho Folclorico de Milford, 2003. Photo by Kathy Condon.
Stepdancer at Irish Connections Festival, 2004. Photo by Maggie Holtzberg.
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Many cultures around the world have both a tradition of folk dance that is participatory and a tradition of performance dance, which is a display. Dancers use their bodies to express their individual artistry while preserving traditional forms that go back hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Folk dance traditions from a wide variety of cultures are actively carried on in Massachusetts. Irish step dancers wearing costumes with elaborately sewn Celtic motifs, regularly compete in feis or festivals. Contra
Dancers use their bodies to express their individual artistry while preserving traditional forms that go back hundreds, if not thousands, of years
dancers fill halls every week, animated by live string bands playing jigs and reels. Portuguese Rancho Folclorico groups gather at annual picnics, dancing in colorful embroidered costumes. With exquisite gestures, Cambodian dancers perform passages from ancient epics. Traditional dance from all over the world is flourishing in the halls, homes, streets, and parks of Massachusetts.