From Rice Park to Lake Phalen, Plymouth to south Minneapolis, local artists, educators and cultural leaders are turning public spaces into hubs of music, dance and tradition this weekend. 

Whether it’s West African drums with Tiyumba, taiko and salsa at the Flint Hills Family Festival, a martial arts showcase at the West Metro Asian Fair, or a celebration of Latina entrepreneurship in south Minneapolis, this weekend’s events use art to connect generations and cultures across the Twin Cities.

West African drum and dance carry stories of community

For Fatawu Sayibu, founder of the Minneapolis dance company Tiyumba, the talking drum holds more than rhythm — it echoes the history of his Dagbamba tribe in northern Ghana, where stories are passed down through sound and song.

“When we have weddings and funerals, the talking drummers are there to call people and to tell them their history,” Sayibu said. “We keep our tradition alive so that the young generation will always know about their ancestors, how their family started and how our tribe started.”

Sayibu founded Tiyumba shortly after immigrating to Minnesota in 2008, with a mission to share West African drum and dance traditions with local audiences while creating opportunities for youth back home in Ghana. The company’s performances help fund education initiatives in Tamale, where Sayibu said access to schooling is often limited.

“In the northern part of Ghana, many families have no one who’s been to high school and that makes it hard for people to imagine what is possible,” he said. “It’s important to have that in a lot of households so they have some kind of encouragement to believe that they can be whoever they want to be.”

The company teaches weekly drumming and dance classes at the Center for Performing Arts in Minneapolis, leads music workshops in schools and supports its own cultural center in Tamale, Ghana, that currently serves about 100 students. The Tiyumba Youth Development and Cultural Center provides after-school programming, music and dance activities and access to uniforms, textbooks and other school materials.

Tiyumba’s upcoming production, “Kaya [Traditions],” will feature 10 company dancers and 10 students in four performances rooted in West African music and dance. The show centers on the theme of community, with proceeds benefiting youth in Tamale.

“It is our responsibility to carry our tradition with us no matter where we find ourselves,” Sayibu said. “I want people to come to the show and feel joy, strength and the peace of the African drum.”

Latine, Vietnamese and Indigenous dance light up Rice Park

The Ordway’s Flint Hills Family Festival returns to St. Paul’s Rice Park for its 25th year with two days of music, dance and art activities. The festival kicks off on Friday with a hip-hop and R&B DJ set, as well as Japanese taiko drumming by Gocoo and TaikoArts Midwest. Saturday brings Latine, Indigenous and Vietnamese dance acts, such as Salsa del Soul, Colombia Live, Los Alegres Bailadores, Hoàng Anh Vietnamese Dance Group, Kalpulli Yaocenoxtli and more. 

Attendees can also explore Indian art traditions such as henna, saree draping, rangoli and mandala art, while also making paper boats to mark 50 years of Vietnamese migration in Minnesota. Kids can build 3-D shapes, design drawstring bags, paint wildlife and create crocodile puppets. 

A ‘mini state fair’ of Asian Culture in the west metro

The Twin Cities West Metro Asian Fair returns Saturday for its third year, celebrating the state’s Asian diaspora through food, music, art and activities for all ages. 

Founded by Chen Zhou, the fair began as a small school event focused on sharing his Chinese heritage and has grown into a vibrant fair representing more than 20 cultures, now hosted at the Hilde Performance Center in Plymouth.

“Our voice is weaker if we are only in our corner,” Zhou said. “It amplifies when we have a bigger alliance with different cultures.”

This year’s fair features cultural booths highlighting traditions from China, India, South Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Pakistan, Laos, the Hmong community and more. Visitors can explore traditional crafts, music, clothing, literature and more.

Local acts will take the stage with Chinese opera and dance, Hmong and Indian dance, Turkish folk dance, and K-pop. Demonstrations from Hong De Wu Guan and Atheneum Martial Arts will showcase kung fu, tai chi, Muay Thai boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. 

Food options include Vietnamese street food, Taiwanese sausages, Indian cuisine, Japanese hibachi, Thai dishes, egg rolls, boba tea and Southeast Asian baked goods.

Additional highlights include a parade at 2 p.m., a watermelon-eating contest at 4 p.m. and a scholarship giveaway at 6 p.m. 

“Asia is such a big continent and there’s so much to enjoy,” Zhou said. “We think of ourselves as an Asian-themed, Asian-flavored mini State Fair.”

Aztec dance and water conservation at Lake Phalen

Lake Phalen’s 26th annual WaterFest will feature Aztec dance by Kalpulli Tlaloctecutli, a kid-friendly dance area, bounce house, inflatables, water slide, boat rides and a fishing competition from noon to 3 p.m. with free equipment. To participate in the activities, sign the waiver here.

This year, staff and board members will be on site collecting input from community members about water-related issues, such as flooding, habitat loss, water quality, and more, for the Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District’s 10-year watershed management plan. Visitors will also have hands-on opportunities to learn more about local wildlife, water conservation and land care. 

READ MORE

North Minneapolis artist Namir Fearce builds a Black, queer sanctuary at MCAD

Minneapolis mosque rooted in African American tradition shapes a family’s Ramadan experience

From Somali poetry to experimental folk: Twin Cities artists debut new works at The Cedar