Press Releases

WHALING MUSEUM TO HOST ECHO PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL

Multicultural troupe performs on March 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the Museum Theater

(NEW BEDFORD, MA) – Marking the final leg of a national tour, the ECHO Performing Arts Festival Troupe comes to the New Bedford Whaling Museum on AHA! Night, Thursday, March 11 at 6:30 p.m. with their multicultural performance, Celebrate – Song, Dance & Story! The troupe's appearance at the Whaling Museum will be the only performance for the general public in the region. They will be performing in five New Bedford schools while in the city.

The ECHO Performing Arts Festival Troupe (left to right): Curtis “Buck” Willis – Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Ani Lokomaika'i Lipscomb (Hawaiian) – Bishop Museum, Annawon Weeden (Wampanoag) – Peabody Essex Museum, Allison Warden (Iñupiaq Eskimo) – Iñupiat Heritage Center, Stephen Blanchett (Yu'pik) – Alaska Native Heritage Center, José Manuel Vinagre, New Bedford ECHO Project.

The 45-minute performance will take the audience on a journey down life's paths, from childhood to love and marriage and beyond. Through song, dance and stories, life's challenges and triumphs are viewed through the lens of many cultures to reveal the commonality of the human experience.

The troupe includes Stephen Blanchett (Yu'pik) – Alaska Native Heritage Center, Ani Lokomaika'i Lipscomb (Hawaiian) – Bishop Museum, Allison Warden (Iñupiaq Eskimo) – Iñupiat Heritage Center, Curtis “Buck” Willis – Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Annawon Weeden (Wampanoag) – Peabody Essex Museum, and New Bedford's own José Manuel “Joe” Vinagre. Ed Bourgeios is Stage and Tour Manager.

The troupe will be available after the performance to talk with the audience.

The ECHO Performing Arts Festival has performed at Anchorage, Barrow, Kaktovik, Anaktuvuk Pass, and Point Hope, Alaska; at Honolulu, Kapa'a, Kekaha, Waimea and 'Ele'ele, Hawaii; Choctaw and Oxford, Mississippi; Plaistow, New Hampshire; Providence, Rhode Island; and Mashpee, Aquinnah, Salem, and Boston, Massachusetts. They will conclude their tour at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum on March 14.

Education through Cultural and Historical Organizations (ECHO) is a major, federally funded educational and cultural enrichment initiative. Established by Congress as part of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, ECHO consists of six regional cultural entities working together. ECHO Programs amply educational benefits, foster greater appreciation of local and national history and assist communities in maximizing the social benefits of new technologies. ECHO is administered by the United States Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement. For more information, visit: www.echospace.org

The New Bedford Whaling Museum is the world's most comprehensive museum devoted to the global story of whales and whaling. The cornerstone of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, the Museum is located at 18 Johnny Cake Hill in the heart of the city's historic downtown and is open daily. For a complete calendar of events, visit the Whaling Museum online at www.whalingmuseum.org. Join the Museum's online community at flickr.com www.flickr.com/photos/nbwm, facebook.com http://www.facebook.com/whalingmuseum, Twitter www.twitter.com/whalingmuseum, and blog at www.whalingmuseumblog.org.