Already Looking Forward to the 2015 Olney Youth Arts Festival

The more I learn about the dance community in Philadelphia, the more I am moved by the number of people and organizations working to bring our city together through dance. It is a beautiful thing!

I recently had the pleasure of speaking to Ambrose Liu, Project Director of the Olney Youth Arts Festival of CultureTrust Greater Philadelphia. The festival debuted in 2013, but development of the festival actually began three years earlier in 2010. For three years, Liu worked within the Olney community to gain a deep understanding of the make-up of the neighborhood, its history, its successes and challenges, its businesses and its families. The festival is not just a celebration of the arts in general, but also a true reflection of the Olney community and its rich diversity.

Liu described the whole process as very intentional. For instance, the festival could have easily been held at a school or church location, already equipped with a stage and other amenities, but festival coordinators instead opted for Olney’s business district, which brought about increased involvement from the local businesses and benefitted them as well. Another intentional decision was to focus on dance performances that represent the diversity in Olney in particular. Many of the dance troupes are from Olney and the surrounding neighborhoods and represent different cultural groups within the community.

One of the goals, Liu explained, is to eventually bring the festival to other neighborhoods of Philadelphia. However, these festivals would undoubtedly have a different feel, or a different flavor, because they would be so reflective of whatever neighborhood they were being held in.

In addition to dance, the Festival features spoken word as well, as seen in this video featuring Poet Aleasha Watson Mitchell.

As Liu explained, there are three goals of the Olney Youth Arts Festival. First is to celebrate cross-cultural understanding through the artistic expression of youth. Liu pointed out how dance is such a developmental part of living and serves as a common cultural denominator. The second goal is to promote dance programs in the greater Olney area and beyond. Many of these dance programs have little opportunity for exposure, and in many cases, limited budgets. But, the impact they have on their students is immense. By creating a festival that focuses on dance groups that are based in low-income and immigrant communities, the festival becomes an ideal place to celebrate and promote these groups. As these dance programs increase their student base, the young students, the dance groups and the community all benefit. The third goal of the festival is to bring energy and foot traffic to Olney businesses, hence the decision to host the festival on North 5th street, a vital business corridor in Olney.

The community response has been overwhelmingly positive, Liu reports. This is not surprising, given the thoughtful development of the festival, its important goals and the sincerity of its coordinators. “We are all volunteers,” Liu says of himself and the other festival coordinators. “We all believe in the value of youth cultural expression.” He describes the community's response as “inspiring” and said there is a great, supportive desire in Olney for this type of positive expression.

After success with the first festival, in June of 2013, festival coordinators expanded the scope of the event for 2014 by publishing an impressive program and resource guide and attracting more vendors. The 2015 festival is in the works, and Liu discussed plans for new performers, the possibility of multiple stages, and more involvement with local restaurants.

As a dance enthusiast and a Philadelphian, I’m inspired by the work that the Olney Youth Arts Festival does. I’m impressed by the range of skills of the performers at the previous festivals, and can’t wait to see the performers in the 2015 festival. Mostly, I’m excited to see the Olney Youth Arts Festival grow, and possibly branch into other neighborhoods.

You can expect another article about the 2015 festival this fall with updates on the performers and other aspects of the festival. In the meantime, please consider supporting the Olney Youth Arts Festival by clicking here. You can also visit the Olney Youth Arts Festival Facebook Page for updates, and catch videos of past performances on their YouTube Channel.