The first annual Moonflower Festival is coming to Palenke Arts on Saturday, April 13, 2024 from 11am-2 pm. This FREE event is a celebration of AAPI culture, music and dance and will feature six wonderful Asian American and Pacific Islander ensembles and over 100 performers: Shinsho Mugen Daiko (Japanese Taiko Drums), Na Haumana (Polynesian Drum and Dance), VietSteps (Vietnamese Dance), Kulintang Dialect (Southern Filipino Gong Ensemble), Monterey Bay Chinese Lion Dancers and the Seaside Tongan Youth Dancers. There will also be artisans and community booths, art activities and food vendors.

Monterey Bay Lion Dance Team Our vision is to educate the community about and propagate Chinese Lion Dance as a cultural art. Our mission is to promote an understanding of culture and the arts, and encourage social exchange and inclusion within the community.

Shinsho Mugen Daiko-The founding director, Ikuyo Conant, emphasizes cultivation of energy, self-awareness and social and personal harmony in Taiko drumming. The group introduces a contemporary style of Taiko drumming with movements and powerful sounds at community, cultural and school events in Monterey County and beyond.

Kulintang Dialect-Kulintang Dialect performs the traditional kulintang music passed down by the late eMaster Danongan Kalanduyan with fidelity. The band also explores the joyous and courageous ways this music can express itself that are nourished by its specific context on this American soil.

Nā Haumāna- Nā Haumāna brings the Pacific Islands to life, through music and dance, while perpetuating the values of lifelong learning, community, ohana and the foundation of aloha.

VietSteps-San Jose-based Vietnamese American youth dance group aiming to preserve and reconnect our youth with the Vietnamese language, music, and culture. We are often invited to perform at community events throughout the Bay Area and our dancers have competed and won in various dance competitions and talent shows. Classes are set at elementary and intermediate levels and we welcome anyone with an interest in learning Vietnamese cultural dancing.