A relatively new festival, ColorDance Music and Arts Festival celebrates color and unification through art and music
Inspired by Holi, the Hindu festival of color, the ColorDance Music and Arts Festival kicks off a celebration of color, diversity and spirituality Friday at Poston Lake Music Park in Guysville, Ohio.
A relatively new event, the festival is expected to nearly double in attendees this year — increasing from around 700 in 2014 to an estimated 1,200 in 2015.
Activities for children are available, as is free non-toxic, biodegradable colored powder to be thrown or used however attendees wish.
Filling up two stages and two full days of sets, 33 bands will perform, including acts from Athens such as Bright at Night, Manitoa, Waivada and Hellnaw.
“Our major theme is ‘Unity in Diversity,’” said Ryan Miller, the festival’s organizer. “Not just racial diversity but just people coming together with a common understanding that we’re all intrinsically connected in one way or the other.”
This theme is made apparent not only by unification through music, but also through visual artists and a series of workshops such as “Sunset Connection Yoga” or “Philosophy of Hugs,” where participants “will delve into the hug in a way [they] never have before,” according to the ColorDance website.
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Athens band Waivada will perform at ColorDance for the first time — its first performance at any music festival.
“The culture of it and the communal aspect is something I’m really looking forward to,” said Garrett Namian, Waivada’s singer and guitarist. “It’s our first festival, so I think it will be a nice transition into that scene.”
Although Waivada has not yet performed at a festival, Namian said he has attended numerous festivals since high school and is familiar with the scene.
“I like to think that music is one of the most universal things that resonates with all people,” he said. “What’s kind of beautiful about it is that there are just so many niches and little places for different musicians to exist, and then, when we can all come together like this you get some really cool things.”
Another Athens band, Bright at Night, has performed at ColorDance for the past two years and is set to perform for the third consecutive year.
“It’s gotten better every year,” said Emerson Bartlett, lead singer and guitarist of Bright at Night. “I think the festival is growing in terms of awareness and the all-around good vibes that are out there.”
The atmosphere at a music festival is much different than at a traditional music venue, such as a bar, Bartlett said.
“I’ve found that when you go to a festival, you’re more likely to know what to expect in terms of everyone is there to dance and enjoy that,” he said. “No one is coming to see your show and stand off in the corner.”
The importance of the fundamental theme of ColorDance extends far beyond the two days at Poston Lake, Bartlett said.
“I think without diversity and the unification in it, there is no way to get the full beauty of what life is and really take in all the knowledge that there is to know about this crazy place we live [in] and the short time we’re on it,” he said.
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