Central to the values of Northwest Folklife is for communities to have voice and agency in the representation of their cultural expressions. More than 150+ Community Coordinators, including prominent artists, educators, culture bearers, and leaders throughout the region work closely with Northwest Folklife throughout the year to collaborate and co-create programs including the Northwest Folklife Festival as well as the annual Cultural Focus and Our Big Neighborhood youth and family program. These relationships are an integral part of our mission and vision. “As the lifeblood of all Northwest Folklife programs, our relationships with Community Coordinators, are the heart and soul of the organization,” says Northwest Folklife Executive Artistic Director, Kelli Faryar.
“Being a Community Coordinator for Northwest Folklife means a lot to me because it gives me an opportunity to make a connection between regional Mexican folk groups and Folklife. It gives every artist involved the opportunity to meet each other and share a stage but most importantly, we get to build new relationships. I have been performing with Folklife with Bailadores de Bronce for about twenty-two years and, as a performer, it is something we always look forward to. Now, I have been able to share experiences and introduce new organizations to the Folklife family.”- from Community Coordinator, Adrian Olivas – Mexican Folklórico Community, Executive Director of Bailadores de Bronce, Alum Cultural Focus Member of Echoes of Aztlan and Beyond.
Northwest Folklife is curated in collaboration with Community Coordinators. Thank you to these amazing leaders!
Sam Keator
Sam Keator: Oregon and SW Washington with no limits
Promoting and hosting traditional Irish Culture through music and dance since 1997.
Sean Donovan: Gator Boy Productions
Sean Donovan teaches joyful, exciting dance classes for all skill levels, with a focus on the power of dance to delight and transform us. Sean also brings his creative and effective communication skills to bear as a professional DJ, producing virtual dances/music shows (including his monthly 1st & 3rd Friday “Juke Joint”), special events parties. Contact Sean about private or group lessons and DJ services at 206.860.8714 or sean@gatorboyproductions.com, and see ongoing classes and events at GatorBoyProductions.com or Gator Boy Productions on Facebook.
Learn more on his website here.
Sherry Nevins
Sherry Nevins: Contra dance
My addiction to live music and participatory dancing started in 1974 with old-time square dancing in Seattle (after moving from NY State). House parties led to calling for public dances and private parties. In 1979 I began scheduling bands and callers for the weekly "old-time country" dances, which soon grew to include contras. My repertoire expanded to calling family dances when our daughters were little. It is a pleasure and an honor to continue coordinating the Lake City Contra Dance (online during the pandemic!) and the contras at Folklife.
Skyler Reed: Moved By Words / New Voices of Color
Skyler Reed (Paiute / Klamath Tribes) is a Folklife Slam Champion; recipient of the University of Washington iSchool’s Dean’s Fellowship for Library Science; and the founder of Moved By Words, a platform dedicated to finding and sharing new voices in writing communities. Skyler is the organizer and host of The New Voices of Color showcase at Northwest Folklife—in its 3rd year of hosting poets and writers from around the Pacific Northwest. skyler@movedbywords.org
Stefanie Brendler: Klezmer, Yiddish, Folk Punk
Stefanie Brendler is a Seattle-based multi-instrumentalist, composer, visual artist, poet, translator, and storyteller whose instruments include brass, accordion, keyboards, and voice. Stefanie’s musical palate spans a spectrum from orchestral French horn to punk rock, bombastic brass street bands to intimate chamber folk. Despite the constant toil under capitalism, heteropatriarchy, and nationalism, Stefanie’s art reflects the joys of life as a queer Jew. Stefanie is a member of the bands Brivele and Shpilkis, and performs solo as Stef on a Clear Day.
Stefanie Fatooh: Middle Eastern Dance
Originally from Los Angeles, Stefanie Fatooh is an arts worker, researcher, and professional dancer. She specializes in Arab dance forms, performing frequently as a Raqs Sharqi (bellydance) soloist and directs the Seattle Qabila Project, an Arab folkdance company which is fiscally sponsored by Shunpike. She also has an MFA in Arts Leadership from Seattle University and has worked in the Seattle arts sector since 2021.
Tom Keeney: Bluegrass
Tom has maintained a deep love & involvement with bluegrass since the late 70s. 3 finger style bluegrass banjo is what he's played since then as well. He was in bluegrass bands in the 80s and has hosted the Bluegrass Ramble radio show on KBCS for the past 21 years. Tom has volunteered with Wintergrass and have served on the showcase band selection committee for the International Bluegrass Music Association in Nashville (IBMA). Bluegrass is what he loves and is grateful for this opportunity to serve as the community coordinator of this genre.
Learn more on his website here.
Wayne Palsson: Chantey Singers and Sea Song Fans
Wayne is the host of the monthly Chantey Sings at Northwest Seaport and leads the band Strikes A Bell who specialize in sea songs and chanteys. He coordinates maritime stage for the Pacific Northwest Folklife Festival and leads the annual chantey sing-alongs at the Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival.
Learn more on his website here.
Wes Weddell: Singer/Songwriter
For the past twenty years, Wes Weddell has worked multiple shifts in the engine room of Seattle’s roots music scene as frontman, sideman, writer, teacher, and community-builder. “Always heartfelt and well-constructed” (Seattle Weekly), listeners have come to expect Weddell’s regionally-rooted songs to “speak for themselves” (No Depression). Along the way he has continued to teach a variety of instruments and styles across generations, helping hundreds find the joy of playing and singing with others.
