Celebrate Indian Arts and Culture at DIWALI: LIGHTS OF INDIA at Seattle Center

Join us for Seattle Center Festál: Diwali: Lights of India, 12 p.m.-6 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 6, in Seattle Center Armory. The final Festál event of 2016 is also the newest - in its first official year at Seattle Center - sharing the story of Diwali as it presents Indian music and dance, crafts, children's activities and flavorful Indian food.

Non-stop performances on the Armory Stage allow festival-goers to travel across India, exploring the diversity of Indian classical and folk dance traditions. Nrityalaya Dance and Preetha Babu & Students present Bharatanatyam classical dance from Tamil Nadu, Urvasi Dance Company offers Odissi classical dance from Odisha, Telugu Bharati shares dances from Andhra Pradesh and a performance by STAR Kalai Kuzhu features the parai, a symbol of Tamil culture and one of the oldest percussion instruments in India. Other dance highlights include showcases by Srishti Dance Company, Dance Tantra, Shwetha Nirmal Group and Naosheen & Group. The festival closes with a danced drama by Abhinaya School of Performing Arts based on Geeta Govinda, a work composed by the 12th century poet Jayadeva, 4:05 p.m.-6 p.m.

Interactive activities and workshops provide engaging learning opportunities for visitors of all ages. Artist Annie Penta offers instruction on making flower mandalas, circular designs filled with intricate patterns to represent wholeness. Join artist Sudha Rajasekaran in the creation of rangoli, floor patterns created using dry flour, colored sand and flowers, or mold a playdough statue of Ganesha. Festival-goers may also decorate cupcakes, sample free vegetarian Indian cuisine, mix their own Indian spices, cook roti (Indian flatbread), try a class fusing yoga and dance and explore saris through a lively fashion show.

As Seattle Center Festál prepares for a milestone in 2017, the 20th anniversary of this illuminating series of ethnic cultural events at Seattle Center, we celebrate the diverse arts, crafts, foods and family activities presented on weekends throughout the year. The 24 Festál events, organized by ethnic/cultural organizations in partnership with Seattle Center, form the bedrock of our free, public offerings, captivating and enlightening festival-goers as they experience the distinct cultures that influence the character and course of our broader community.

Seattle Center Festál is a program of Seattle Center Productions. Admission is free-of-charge. For more information on this collection of ethnic cultural events and other Seattle Center public programming, visit www.seattlecenter.com or call 206 684-7200.

Seattle Center Festál 2016, a collection of 23 cultural events presented on weekends throughout the year, highlights the diverse cultures and common threads of ethnic communities in our region with traditional and contemporary art, music, foods, youth activities, workshops, marketplaces and more. Seattle Center Festál is produced with the generous support of KUOW 94.9 Public Radio, Coca-Cola, Alaska Airlines, T-Mobile, RealNetworks, 4Culture and ArtsWA. Additional support is provided by the City of Seattle and Seattle Center Foundation.

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