The Minnesota State Arts board recently announced the recipients of their 2024-2025 Cultural Expression grants. The non-profit organization Lao Culture Dance and Traditional Fashion Show was among the recipients, receiving a groundbreaking award of $35,000. The funds will be used to teach Lao youth how to perform new traditional dances-including the Lum Si Phan Don dance and Wishing dance; They will also coordinate and direct the Miss Nang Sang Khan Pageant; and produce Lao New Year with live music and traditional Lao dances for the community in Minnesota.
This is one of 56 grants awarded by the Minnesota State Arts Board. The Cultural Expressions program “supports activities that share, explore, pass on, express, or celebrate culture through the arts. Culture may be defined by a common ethnicity, tribal affiliation, geographic or regional identity, occupation, language, or recreation. Traditional and contemporary forms of cultural expression may be funded in this program. Funds could be used to support practicing a cultural art form; presenting cultural festivals, community celebrations, performances, media or exhibitions; offering demonstrations, etc. Funds could also be used to deepen or pass on cultural traditions through apprenticeships or documentation.” The program proposed by Lao Culture Dance and Traditional Fashion Show meets that criteria.
Lao Culture Dance and Traditional Fashion Show has been an active part of the community for over thirty years in serveral forms. In 1989, at the age of 18, founder Niphone Phommaras arrived in the US to embark on a new chapter of her life like many Lao in the diaspora of the 20th century. Arriving in Minnesota, she found that there that was a glaring void ʹ Lao youth faced, one of limited opportunities to immerse themselves in their own heritage and the traditional forms of cultural expression that are so vital to one’s sense of self and place in the world.
This realization spurred her to action, igniting a fervent desire to safeguard and promote the intricate and captivating Laotian artistic traditions which go back to the ancient kingdom of Lan Xang in the 1300s and in some cases even earlier, depending on the scholars you read.
Trained in the city of Vientiane in the traditional dance techniques, she initiated the training of Lao students in the intricacies of traditional Lao dances during a time when there were few teachers available. Her aim was twofold: to ensure the survival of the Lao cultural legacy and to empower younger generations to find resonance in their roots. Through a variety of challenges of the decades she persisted and grew a conscientious and dedicated team of instructors, musicians, and technical support volunteers to regularly provide the community with dancers and performers familiar with the values and customs of the Lao.
She has been both a performer and an instructor, contributing to nearly every major Lao New Year events in the state of Minnesota between 1991 to today. She taught traditional dance with the Lao Parent Teacher Association (Lao PTA) as well as Roosevelt High School and SandFord JR High School, and the Lao Lutheran Church. In recent years, the United Royal Lao Armed Forces and Special Guerilla Units Veterans of the Vietnam War bestowed upon her a certificate “In honor of her exceptional accomplishments and dedication.”
Over the years, Lao Culture Dance and Traditional Fashion Show has performed at events such as the Southeast Asian New Year Festival organized by Asian Media Access at Union Depot and the Mall Of America. They’ve also performed at events such as Boun Paved Tempo festival celebrations at the Wat Lao Xayabhoummaram Temple of East Bethel, Minnesota, the Minnesota Songkran Festival of Minnesota at the State Capitol in May 2023s, and the White Dragon Banquet Hall Lao Hmong American Coalition, the Lao reunion celebrations in Las Vegas, the Sabaidee Fest Festival in California, and World Refugee Day 2023 in Brooklyn Park.
The organization and the students have always been excited to assist philanthropic efforts, especially those that promote good citizenship and academic achievement.
At the heart of Lao Culture Dance Fashion MN lies a compelling mission – to preserve, promote, and perpetuate Lao cultural heritage through the mediums of dance, traditional fashion, and performing arts. This mission is underpinned by a profound belief that cultural traditions hold the power to foster community cohesion, build self-esteem, and instill a sense of belonging. The organization envisions a future where Lao culture thrives, serving as a source of inspiration and identity for generations to come.
The Minnesota State Arts Board is a state agency that stimulates and encourages the creation, performance, and appreciation of the arts in the state. Grant funds come to the Minnesota State Arts Board from multiple sources, and this project is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
You can visit Lao Culture Dance and Traditional Fashion Show online, as well as on social media. This year is particularly timely for them to receive support as the students and community prepares for the 50th anniversary of the Lao diaspora and many important events in the Lao journey. It is particularly important as many elder instructors are passing away or facing health challenges that limit their ability to share key knowledge and techniques with the next generation.