Martin Luther King Jr. Celebrated with Music, Dancing of Different Cultures

Multicultural dancing, storytelling and music helped celebrate the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday at Monday.

Performers included storyteller Kibibi Monie, director of Nu Black Arts West Theatre, led the crowd in an original harmony of "Happy Birthday."

The Filipinas Performing Arts of Washington State, a Snohomish county-based dance troupe, also performed traditional Filipino dances from different areas of the Philippines.

They also taught the crowd the traditional tinikling dance, where dancers time their steps as they dance among two beating bamboo poles. The sticks are clapped together to keep time, and dancers must be on their toes to keep their toes from being trapped between the poles.

“The Celebration of a Dream” also included a performance from Brazilian singer Eduardo Mendonca and Show Brazil, and a health fair, which included many local health and safety providers, including Overlake Hospital Medical Center, The Women's Center, and advocates for elder and children's safety.

The event was sponsored by the City of Bellevue Parks & Community Services Cultural Diversity Program, Crossroads Bellevue Shopping Center and the Bellevue Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.