This year's Smithsonian Folklife Festival brings over 280 participants and a million visitors to the National Mall. It  features daily and evening programs of music, song, dance, storytelling, crafts and cooking demonstrations, and discussion sessions for three programs: Colombia, Rhythm and Blues, and Peace Corps. Behind the programs' production are talented curators who coordinate teams of dedicated staff, interns, and volunteers. Here is a gallery of the three teams that are the backbone to this year's Festival programs.

Colombia program team, from left to right: (back row) Jessie Vallejo, program curator Olivia Cadaval, Amauta Firmino, María Angelica Rodriguez Ibañez, program coordinator Cristina Díaz-Carrera, (front) Kerry Kaleba, Jeanette Gaida, Marie Mencher, Sara...

R&B team from left to right: Sheryl Sears, Mylah Howard, Charise Richards,Tucker Foltz and Zakiya Williams (kneeling), Meagan Carrick, curator Mark Puryear and program coordinator Arlene Reiniger, NMAAHC staff Dorey Butter, and R&B participant assistant ...

Peace Corps team from left to right: program coordinator Jason Bowers, Meghan Hiscock, Ryann Dear, Irina Rubenstein, Evangeline Mee, Martina Venturi, Moriah Childers, Melanie Moore, Emily Shinay, program curator Jim Deutsch, Kim Stryker, and participant ...

Van Luong is the festival blogger for the 2011 Folklife Festival.