Melaku Belay. (Courtesy photo)
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
New York (TADIAS) — Melaku Belay, leader of the traditional Ethiopian dance troupe Fendika is featured in the lineup for the 2016 Globalfest concert in New York City.
“Globalfest has announced the lineup for its 13th annual concert, which will feature performers from Mexico, Ethiopia and Haiti and be held at Webster Hall on Jan. 17,” the New York Times reported.
Melaku, who is known for his innovative and virtuoso interpretation of Eskista, has performed several shows in NYC while touring with the Ethiopian American band Debo, and most memorably he participated at the Lincoln outdoors concert in 2008 with legendary saxophonist Gétatchèw Mèkurya and The Ex band.
“Fendika an ensemble led by the exuberant dancer Melaku Belay, mixes traditional music and dance from Ethiopia,” the New York Times added.
Jon Pareles of the New York Times described last year’s Globalfest festival as “full of fusions both geographical and temporal: local and far-flung, old and new. What fortified nearly every performance was the sense that the music still comes from some place like home.” The Times noted “next year’s edition will likewise showcase an intriguing mix of artists devoted to cultural exchange and preservation.”
Read more at The New York Times »
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