The Okanagan Rhythm Festival is set for June 22 and 23 at Kelowna’s Rotary Centre for the Arts.
This third annual Okanagan Rhythm Festival (ORF) is a celebration of world drumming, percussion and rhythmic music and dance.
With two days of performances, workshops, drum and dance parties and drum circles, ORF is the only festival of its kind in the British Columbia Interior. Expecting more than 200 participants, ORF 2012 promises to be bigger and better than ever.
The success of previous ORF festivals—in 2009 and 2010—showed that there is a distinct need to hold a festival like this. ORF allows participants to experiment with different forms of drum and dance. It gives people a safe and supportive environment in which to experience multicultural music and dance forms they might not otherwise challenge themselves to try.
The Okanagan Rhythm Festival Cooperative is a nonprofit, community service cooperative that is the parent organization that produces ORF. The organization of ORF is managed and run by the volunteer efforts of the members of the cooperative. Among the goals of the ORF Cooperative is to bring together the community of rhythm-loving musicians, dancers, teachers, performers and music-lovers from throughout the Okanagan.
The ORF Cooperative members work to create a greater awareness, appreciation and enjoyment of various styles of drumming and rhythmic music and dance. The cooperative strives to provide opportunities for local rhythm artists to gain exposure to the larger musical community and develop working relationships that foster innovative collaborations.
For more information please see http://okanaganrhythmfest.ca/.
