By Aarushi Agni, Madison Magazine, September 2009
Take music from anywhere around the world. Add a venue full of excited music lovers. Plug it into the formula, derived by a committee of dedicated students and adults. Multiply by the danceability constant. Put it all together and—voila!—it’s an equation for greatness in the Madison World Music Festival. The Union Theater’s sixth annual music festival, held September 16–19, promises an eclectic cultural lineup.
Esty Dinur, music committee chair of the event, says the World Music Festival commits itself to excellence, planning for the fest a year in advance. Dinur painstakingly compiles the music, using her discriminating ears to find bands that will reflect the festival’s mission. This mission, she says, is to appeal to students and make them want to dance, under the broad goal of educating the community about different cultures.
“We weigh these things when we look at possibilities,” says Dinur. “Another goal we have is promoting gender balance in what is offered to us.”
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