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Musicians Bring Small Part of China to Sisseton

Over the course of two years, Arts Midwest World Fest brought four international bands to Sisseton for concerts and workshops. Last week the final group shared music from the Yunnan province of southwest China, playing traditional songs with a modern twist.

Shanren’s translator and manager, Sam Debell, says the band makes music from a small part of a big country.
 
“We hope that by showing the small part, we’re actually giving a different impression of the whole country,” Debell says. “Because a lot of people’s views overseas about China are informed by maybe political debates or just stuff that you hear in the news which doesn’t really deal with the stuff that we’re doing. And it’s a very lively and diverse place, and we hope that we can show that when we do the show.”
 
Debell says by traveling the world, playing traditional music from different tribes in Yunnan, the members of Shanren are helping to conserve that region’s culture. He says they enjoyed their weeklong residency in Sisseton, connecting the stories of the Native American community with their own.  
 
“The more they learn about the tribal areas in the States, the more they kind of feel like they can kind of recognize a bit of their own situation, and kind of identify with it,” Debell says. “So here’s been a particularly good place for us.”
 
Sisseton Arts Council Director Jane Rasmussen says Arts Midwest World Fest opened her community to not only learn more about cultures from around the globe, but about the diversity closer to home as well.
 
“The cultural dialogue and understanding that’s gone on in-between the residencies has really had an impact,” Rasmussen says. “And I think that even though this is the final residency, it’s really the beginning of a lot of great things that we can do when we work together and celebrate cultural diversity.”
 
Rasmussen says she believes each of the Arts Midwest World Fest groups has gone away from Sisseton feeling like they’ve been given a gift because of the cultural exchange they experienced while in the community.

For more information about Shanren and Arts Midwest World Fest, click here.