The Emyo Tinyo Dance and Music Festival is a unique event created by Emyotungan Village and Further Arts & TEKS in Vanuatu.  The event will host 30 talented dancers and musicians from around Ambrym island, other islands of Vanuatu, and Melanesian countries, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, New Caledonia, West Papua and Solomon Islands. 
 
The village community of Emyotungan in West Ambrym, lead by Chief Filip Talevu will share their homes, village and lifestyle with the participants to ensure a welcoming and intimate experience for all.  Local music leaders, Tio bang and Steve are coordinating the artistic program.
 
Through music, dance and artistic cultural collaborations, participants will exchange ideas, beats and movements, and create a combined performance piece to present to the communities of West Ambrym during a one-day festival.  Other festival activities include local style cooking and craft demonstrations, sand drawing exhibitions, storytelling, and games.
 
The event is made possible through the TEKS Program of Further Arts, supported by the Christensen Fund, which aims to promote and develop diverse cultural heritage in Vanuatu.  TEKS works with rural communities in Northern Vanuatu to increase the active maintenance and transmission of cultural and traditional knowledge and wisdom to younger generations through ceremonies, festivals and performances.  The program primarily targets young people through the production of accessible and appealing multimedia resources to stimulate enthusiasm about their traditions and cultural heritage.  It also intends to draw the connection between these traditional wisdom practices and contemporary music and dance to promote creativity and sustainability.
 
For the festival, the Queensland Art Gallery l Gallery of Modern Art has supported the participation of 13 performers from across Melanesia as part of the development of a project exploring Melanesian performance for 'The 8th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art' (APT8) 2015-2016.  
 
In addition, Alliance Française Port Vila have supported two local performers, one dancer from New Caledonia, and two artists from Fondation Suzanne Bastien to attend.
 
For further enquiries about the event and program, please contact us via Further Arts facebook page, email or phone as above.
 
www.furtherarts.org