MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia University Office of Global Affairs is ready to present a showcase of music and cultures from around the world.
Over a dozen different musical acts will perform as part of the International Street Festival that will take place on Sunday, April 6, where international students and Morgantown area residents alike will take part in a variety of cultural activities. Latin music performer Jose Ramierz will be one of the numerous musical performers who will be on hand to present musical instruments and popular songs as part of a presentation of the different cultures represented in the Morgantown area.
“They have a lot of events, they’re going to have people from different places, Africa, China, a lot of different (musical) styles,” said Ramirez.
Ramirez and his band Sobroson will take the stage at 2:30 p.m., where they will follow musical acts portraying cultures across the entire globe. This will include a presentation of Japanese sword dancing and musical presentations from the WVU World Music Program. Among the cultures that will be showcased through dance and song will be those represented from Africa, portions of Asia, and many others.
“The festival is going to begin with the African music and dance ensemble from WVU at 11 until 11:30,” said Ramirez. “And after that it’s going to be the Chinese Association from West Virginia, that they are going to play instruments, they’re going to dance, they’re going to sing, and after that, a lot more events.”
As part of his performance, Ramierz added that when Sobroson performs on Sunday, it will include chances for festival attendees to take part in Latin culture. Along with a chance to see Colombian-based instruments be put to use performing original Latin songs, attendees will also have a chance to learn Latin-themed dance moves with the help of local dance instructors who have taken part in previous iterations of the International Street Festival. This will close out the International Street Festival as a way to end the event on a high note.
“We’re going to be there at 2:30, and we’re going to play Combia first,” said Ramirez. “We’re going to play some original (songs) and we’re going to have a small lesson about how to dance to Combia.”
The International Street Festival will be free to attend with independent food vendors expected to be in attendance. This will include vendors serving cuisines from over a half dozen regions, including Peruvian chicken restaurant El Pollo, as well as several dozen food trucks that serve Asian, African, and Indian dishes. With dozens of cultures from across the world expected to take part, Ramirez encourages any Morgantown area residents to join in the fun.
“People here are just so welcoming, and we feel blessed that we can share this Latin music with everybody here,” Ramirez said.