WASHINGTON, D.C.: International performing artists from Haiti, Indonesia and Pakistan are coming to the United States as part of a new cultural diplomacy initiative, Center Stage^SM, which will be officially launched in June by the U.S. State Department.  These performing artists and ensembles — selected from more than 200 nominated artists from countries as far-flung as Haiti, Indonesia, Mali, Pakistan, Senegal, Syria, and Turkey — will perform in 60 medium- and small-sized towns and cities across the U.S.

All of it will begin in Washington, D.C.  On June 19, Center Stage^SM artists will perform in a month-long international exchange at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ Millennium Stage. This concert is free and open to the public.

The first wave of performing artists will include two music groups from Pakistan. Singer-songwriter Arieb Azhar and the rock band noori will travel to the United States and participate in a range of activities, such as performances, workshops, discussions, artist-to-artist exchanges, and community gatherings.

After their D.C. performances, these Pakistani artists will travel in cities across the U.S.

For a full list of artists and performance dates, click here. Or scroll down to the end of this article.

Defying easy categorization, Arieb Azhar hails from Islamabad in Pakistan. A baritone, Azhar leads a quartet of musicians in an eclectic mix of urban and folk-based songs grounded in Sufi and other humanist poetries from across Eurasia. Known as a world-class troubadour, his sets pay tribute to Irish balladeers, Croatian gypsies, Punjabi traders and ancient Sanskrit texts.

Noori, one of Pakistan’s top pop-rock bands, helped define Sufi-rock. Led by charismatic brothers Ali Noor and Ali Hamza, Noori’s debut 2003 album created whirlwinds across Pakistani communities all over the world and introduced the pop/rock music to the national mainstream. Its content was a departure from the usual pop diet of chummy love songs and focused on inspiring the youth of Pakistan to take up the responsibility of doing something worthwhile for themselves and others. That initial hopefulness is tempered now, resulting in more complex thematic and musical explorations that continue to push the boundaries. The group is based in Lahore.

Another fascinating group comes from Haiti: Compagnie de Danse Jean-Rene Delsoin, based in Petion-Ville. Delsoin’s dancers and drummers are said to “embody choreography that captures Haiti now — raw and refined, spiritual, powerful and precarious.” “From Raboday to Nago, passing through Congo and the Yanvalou, corporeal rhythms and expressions worked in harmony to transform everything into beauty,” praises Le Nouvelliste in Haiti. The group is comprised of eight dancers and musicians. It will perform in the U.S. from October to November 2012.

According to a prepared statement by the U.S. State Department, “Center Stage^SM builds on Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s vision of ‘smart power,’ which embraces the use of a full range of diplomatic tools, in this case the performing arts, to bring people together and foster greater understanding.” Center Stage aims for geographic reach and seeks to support presenting organizations which may not otherwise have the capacity to host international work.

It is a public diplomacy initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. It is administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts in cooperation with the U.S. Regional Arts Organizations, and with support from the Asian Cultural Council, the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, and the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation. General management is provided by Lisa Booth Management, Inc.” —RG, in the theater of One World

ARIEB AZHAR


NOORI


BELO


COMPAGNIE DE DANSE JEAN-RENE DELSOIN


JOGJA HIP HOP FOUNDATION


NAN JOMBANG


PAPERMOON PUPPET THEATRE


TI-COCA & WANGA-NEGES


ZEB & HANIYA