Tucson, meet (and eat) yourself

More than 20 food booths, featuring everything from Vietnamese fish dishes to Colombian empanadas? Check. Dozens of folk artists ready to teach you Arabic calligraphy or sell you a handmade glass painting? Check. Five stages filled with traditional dance, song and a teenage Iron Chef competition? Check. Nearly 50,000 of your fellow Tucsonans and closest friends? Check.

No, this isn't a laundry list of local events happening throughout the year; it's a mere sampling of the activities available this weekend at El Presidio Park during the Tucson Meet Yourself Festival.

"Everybody knows about the festival," says Mia Hansen, president of the Cultural Exchange Council of Tucson. "It's about Tucson and southern Arizona meeting its own community. It's a favorite of the town."

The free, three-day event is largely sponsored by the Cultural Exchange Council, with the help of donors and sponsors. The council aims to expose the community to the "nonprofit, grass-roots ethnic organizations," Hansen says. While these organizations showcase a variety of dance, song and art, the festival is lovingly known as "Tucson Eat Yourself" for a reason.

"The food is the bait; it's absolutely delicious ethnic food," Hansen says.

New features including the "global village" and "world games" displays will be on hand to help festivalgoers learn about other cultures in the community, such as the recent Myanmar and Iraqi transplants to Tucson, Hansen says.

Expect traditional performances, plus a recently added "Meet the Street and Youth Culture" series of events that includes hip-hop dance groups, a high school steel drum band, two Jewish choirs and a graffiti artist.

"The local youth have a lot of different ways to express themselves," Hansen says. "We want to showcase a mixture of that."

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

FRIDAY

noon - The Bouncing Czechs (CT)

12:50 p.m. - Turkish Dance - Sonoran Academy International Dance Club (CT)

1 -Tucson Hebrew Academy Choir (CT)

2 -Trim the Velvet (CT)

4 - Mariachi Brillante Juvenil (CT)

5 -Club Costa Rica Dancers (CT)

5:45 -Welcome to Tucson Meet Yourself - 35 Years and Still Cookin' (CH)

6 -Dean Armstrong and the Arizona Dancehands (CH)

Southwest Soul Circuit Gospel (CT)

6:30 - Al-Haneen Arabic Dance Troupe (CH)

Coppers & Brass Irish music (CT)

7 - Kalumba - Ugandan/East African music (CH)

Ashutosh & Dinesh Thakur - music of India (CT)

7:30 - Ritmo Bacheche - Afro-Cuban music (CH)

Sri Lankan Students Association (CT)

8 - Living Cultural Treasures Awards (CH)

Leikarring Norwegian Dancers (CH)

Mzekala - Balkan singers (CT)

8:30 - Burundi Chorus of the Goshen Ministry (CH)

Hugh O'Conor Memorial Pipe Band & Friends (CT)

9 - Batucaxé (CH)

Pablo Waila - O'odham dance music (CT)

SATURDAY

11 a.m. - Chinese Lion Dancers - Tucson Chinese Cultural Center (CH)

Accordion Club of Tucson (CT)

Kosho Karate Martial Arts Demo (LS)

11:30 - Barniringen and Trollungarna (CH) - Scandinavian Children's Dance

Bela Vrucina - German & Austrian dances (CT)

Pistor Dance Ensemble (CS)

Kosho Karate Martial Arts Demo (LS)

noon - Tucson Sino Dance (CH)

Saguaro Strutters (CT)

Odaiko Sonora - Japanese Taiko Drumming (LS)

12:30 p.m. - Tucson Chinese School (CH)

Mariachi Aztlan (CT)

Rising Star's H2J Step Team and Praise Dancing Ministry (CS)

Odaiko Sonora - Taiko Hands-on drumming workshop (LS)

1 - Tucson Sino Choir (CH)

Persian Club (CT)

Traditional Wear: International Fashion Show (CS)

1:30 - Balkan Spirit (CH)

Vietnamese Students Association (CT)

Traditional Wear: International Fashion Show (CS)

Tucson Tae Kwon Do School - Korean Karate (LS)

2 - Arizona Balalaika Orchestra (CH)

Summer Thunder Asian Music ensemble (CT)

Batucaxé Hands-on drumming workshop (LS)

2:30 - Chile Canta Y Baila - Chilean songs & dances (CH)

Ted Warmbrand - songs of a NY Jewish family (CT)

Aikido at the Center - Japanese Martial Arts (LS)

3 - Barbea Williams Performing Company - West African dance (CH)

Corrido Contest (CT)

Richard Noel - Trinidad Steel (CS)

J. Kim Martial Arts - Korean Tang Soo Do (LS)

3:30 - Filipino-American Sampaguita Club of Tucson (CH)

Corrido Contest (CT)

Toa Toa Brazilian Band (CS)

Tucson Sino Taiji Group - Chinese fan & sword (LS)

4 - Arirang Korean Dance Group (CH)

Corrido Contest (CT)

Tucson Sino Martial Arts Team (LS)

4:30 - Arabian Dance Arts (CH)

Corrido Contest (CT)

Veils of Mystery (CS)

Kodenkan of Tucson - Japanese Martial Arts (LS)

5 - Ballet Folklorico San Juan (CH)

Brisa del Mar - Flamenco/Morrocan music & dance (CT)

Lowrider Show & Shine Awards (CS)

Martial Arts workshops (LS)

5:30 - Samir Riahi - Oud music (CH)

Club Colombia de Tucson Dancers (CT)

Martial Arts workshops (LS)

6 - India Society of Southern Arizona (CH)

Gospel Music Workshop of America (CT)

6:30 - Danza Mexica Cuauhtemoc (CH)

Philippine Mabuhay Cultural Foundation of Tucson (CT)

7 - Seven Pipers Society (CH)

Na Wahine I Ka Nani O' Tucson - Polynesian dance (CT)

7:30 - Bwiya Toli - Latin American music (CT)

8 - Los Hermanos Quatros - Yaqui Norteño band (CH)

Lajkonik Polish Dancers (CT)

8:30 - Reveille Chorus - World Music (CH)

9 - Sambalanço Brazilian music (CH)

Kathi Huhtaluhta - Finnish/Sami music (CT)

9:30 - Zalook Sound - North African/World fusion (CT)

SUNDAY

noon - Redhouse Family dancers (CH)

Ner Tamid Choir (CT)

Sahara Dancers (CS)

Sonoran Aikikai - Japanese Aikido (LS)

12:30 p.m. - Tucson Taiko Kyokai - Japanese drumming (CH)

Rusyny Folk Ensemble (CT)

Martial Arts demo (LS)

1 - Flamenco del Pueblo Viejo (CH)

Southern Arizona Old Time Fiddlers Association (CT)

Tucson Jewish Youth Choir (CS)

Ki Center Martial Arts - Haidong Gumdo Korean Sword (LS)

1:30 - Tir Conaill Irish Dance Academy (CH)

The Dambe Drum Ensemble (CT)

Capoeira Mandinga (CS)

Panethenians Greek Dance Workshop (LS)

2 - VASA Swedish Folk Dancers (CH)

Mari Kaneta Suzuyki-Kai Traditional Japanese Dance (CT)

Ritmos Latinos Dancers (CS)

Capoeira Mandinga Workshop (LS)

2:30 - Tariq Rasool & the Songhai Drummers (CH)

Panathenian Dancers (CT)

Human Project Hip Hop Dance (CS)

Irish Dance Workshop with Tir Conaill (LS)

3 - Halau Hula O' Ualani featuring Ernie Menehune (CH)

Mariachi Brillante Juvenil (CT)

Dia Clones Hip Hop Dance (CS)

Sticks & Fingers Latin Percussion (LS)

3:30 - Thai Dances - Dhamma Temple (CT)

4 - Yaqui Ritual music & dance (no photos please) (CH)

Maguire Academy of Irish Dance (CT)

Low Rider Show & Shine awards (CS)

Latin music & dance jam (LS)

5 - Desert Indian Dancers of the Tohono O'odham Nation (CH)