Hmong Arts Festival celebrates the qeej with master players, acrobatic performances

In the Twin Cities arts scene this weekend, celebrate Hmong music at an arts festival in St. Paul, support Black artistry and entrepreneurship in the U.S. Bank Stadium, and witness artists of color reimagine the future through dance at Red Eye Theater.

Festival showcases traditional Hmong instrument

The Hmong Cultural Center is hosting the third annual Qeej and Hmong Arts Festival to celebrate the traditional bamboo pipe instrument integral to Hmong culture.

While the qeej (pronounced “geng”) is traditionally played at Hmong funerals, the festival aims to showcase the instrument’s versatility and revive its use for pure musical enjoyment.

“It was an instrument that we used to speak through,” said the festival’s organizer Kang Vang , referring to its historical use in communicating with deceased spirits. “We want to preserve that artistry, that tradition, that part of our culture.”

Qeej players often perform in a crouching position while dancing with the instrument. Vang described performances that may include spinning, acrobatic tumbling, headstands, or human pyramids formed by “climbing on top of each other’s backs and sitting on each other’s shoulders.”

The festival lineup includes qeej performances by master player Ciaj Sia Lee and the Hmong Cultural Center’s ensembles, alongside hip-hop dance by Cypher Side Dance School and traditional and contemporary Hmong dance by Dao Lan Dance Studio and Iny Asian Dance Theater .

Visitors can also try their hand at traditional Hmong games and archery using handmade wood and bamboo crossbows. There will be a dedicated arts corner, offering coloring activities and traditional Hmong hat-making with paper. Vendors will sell Hmong clothing, crafts, and other goods, including henna tattoos.

“I hope people learn a little bit about Hmong people through the qeej performances,” Vang said. “I hope they also see a part of the culture they haven’t seen before, and, if they’re Hmong, I hope they feel more connected to their culture.”

Date: Sunday, May 26

Time: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Location: RiverCentre, 175 Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul

Cost: Free

For more information: Visit hmongcc.org .

Artists of color dance their way to a better future

Red Eye Theater will host “Works-in-Progress,” a four-week festival showcasing interdisciplinary performances by 10 artists of color blending dance, storytelling and art installations. This year’s theme, “futurisms,” explores ancestral connections and the potential for alternative realities and homelands.

The opening weekend features choreographer Juliet Irving’s “unb’come,” which tells the story of Southern Black experiences through movement and audience engagement. Dancer Lu Chen uses improvisation in  “Testigo/Witness Witness Witness” to investigate human connection to physical space and emotions. Nepali dance artist Parisha Rajbhandari’s “In scarce” examines the body in motion through vibrations, sounds, and rhythms. Hmong American playwright Katie Ka Vang’s “(Un)Known Futures,” showcases an installation of life-sized art collages that explore themes of community, ancestry, and envisioning a better future.

Date: Thursday, May 23 to Saturday, May 25

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Red Eye Theater, 2213 Snelling Ave., Minneapolis

Cost: Tickets start at $15. Buy tickets here .

For more information: Visit redeyetheater.org .

Minnesota Soul highlights local Black artists and businesses

The Stairstep Foundation will present “ Minnesota Soul, ” a daylong celebration of African American music, dance, and entrepreneurship with over 20 local soul acts, seven dance groups and a marketplace with over 60 Black-owned businesses.

The main stage performers include jazz singer Thomasina Petrus , soul singer Jamecia Bennett , neo-soul sibling band Nunnabove , the Minnesota Soul mass choir, and more, from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Find the performance schedule here .

The dance stage will feature hip-hop, tap, jazz, ballet, and Chicago-style eight-count performances by the Twin Cities Steppers , New Black City , Les Jolies Petites , Step with Soul , Unstoppable Dance Company , and Hollywood Studio of Dance , from 1:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.

Minnesota Soul’s Griot Village will feature a marketplace showcasing multicultural fashion dolls , books and poetry by Black authors, and artwork by local artists including Charles Caldwel l, Seitu Jones , Christopher Harrison , Donald Walker , and Shea Maze .

There will also be live painting demonstrations by Noval Noir and Flahn Manly along with a community mural project led by Sean Garrison .

Date: Saturday, May 25

Time: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Location: U.S. Bank Stadium, 401 Chicago Ave., Minneapolis

Cost: Free

For more information: Visit mnsoul.com .

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