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• The Chinese Youth Club and its 9-man volleyball alumni took over the center of the National Mall this morning to play a match of the uniquely Chinese American sport.
  Photo by Daniel Martinez, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
• Who’s going to catch you? The Wenatchee Youth Circus started the morning on the Flying Trapeze.
  Photo by Josh Weilepp, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
• Circus Juventas performed a variation on their Wonderland show for “Circus of the Senses,” designed specifically for people who are deaf, blind or low-vision, or have cognitive disabilities.
  Photo by Josh Weilepp, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
• At the end of “Circus of the Senses” visitors who are blind or low-vision were invited on a touch tour to feel performers’ costumes and props.
  Photo by Daniel Martinez, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
• It may seem a simple question, but the Migration Walkway challenges visitors to think differently about human migration and movement.
  Photo by Daniel Martinez, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
• The Wong People of Washington, D.C., brought their lion dance tradition to the Story Circle. Visitors were handed lettuce to feed to the lion; if the lion spits lettuce back at you and you can catch it, that’s a sign of good luck!
  Photo by Daniel Martinez, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
• Ledward Kaapana joined us today from Kaneohe, Hawai‘i, to play ukulele and guitar. He’ll be at the Festival on July 4, and at the Library of Congress and the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage on July 5.
  Photo by JB Weilepp, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
• A “juggle jam” rounded out the afternoon on the National Mall, with professionals and amateurs trading clubs and skills.
  Photo by JB Weilepp, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
• Circus Smirkus made their Big Top debut, opening for the Stars of the Circus in the evening show.
  Photo by Vivianne Peckham, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
• Ella Storme (left) and Marina Luna rehearsed backstage in the Big Top for their aerial duo act, LunaStorme.
  Photo by Vivianne Peckham, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives

Click the image above to see full slideshow

Where are you from? Where are you going? Why do you do what you do?

These probably sound like simple questions, but they are at the core of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Answers to these questions reveal so much about individual and community identity—whether from a Festival participant or a visitor, a first-generation Chinese American immigrant or a fifth-generation circus clown. Take a look at today’s highlights as we explore the human spirit.

We’ll be open for the Fourth of July tomorrow, without any evening events as we make way for the Washington, D.C., fireworks show. Our own Two Hemispheres Wagon, the largest circus wagon in history, will ride once again for the National Independence Day Parade. Come on down to see Liberian dance traditions, make your own puppets and parade with them down the Mall with Wise Fool New Mexico, and learn about the power of “social circus” with Circus Harmony.

Elisa Hough is the editor for the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.