Folklore Scholarship

Common Ground: Folk Arts, Cultural Heritage, and Equity

Common Ground: Folk Arts, Cultural Heritage, and Equity

Photo:  Aziz Peerzada and his 11-year old son Saboor perform a beautiful set of Punjabi folk songs at the 2016 Brooklyn Arts Council Festival.   On November 23, 2020,  I attended a virtual Zoom hearing on the decision by the Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC) to cancel...

Egyptian Saidi Dance

In this guest blogpost, Dancer and linguist, Torkom Moysesiyan provides a glimpse into the ancient Egyptian dance of Saidi.  Saidi originates in Upper Egypt and is danced by both women and men. "Saidi dates back to ancient Egypt. It is an Egyptian folkloric dance that...

Touching Hearts, Not Hands

Touching Hearts, Not Hands

As we are confronting the coronavirus crisis, City Lore, in New York City, is putting out a call to collect creative responses to the crisis in song, poetry, video and other forms. New Yorkers are famous for coming together in community after September 11th. There...

Imagining a Future of Folklore

Imagining a Future of Folklore

2019 is the tenth year of my tenure on the board of directors of New York Folklore and my fourth as president. When I first joined, at the invitation of past president Gabrielle Hamilton - who steadfastly saw us through the recession of 2008 and the lean...