The Fiesta de San Fermin is one of the biggest festivals in Basque country. The weeklong celebration in Pamplona (also called Iruña, Nafarroa) honors the martyr San Fermin, who was beheaded while preaching in France in 303 AD.

Kepa Junkera kicked off the 2016 Folklife Festival evening concert series with a riveting performance alongside the all-women group Sorginak, showcasing his nimble accordion skills and musical genius that earned him a Latin GRAMMY in 2004.

Rhythm is not inherently musical, as Benjamin Earl Turner demonstrates in “Diatribe of a Shepard’s Son.” The ebb and flow of Ben’s poetry guides the audience along the journey of his verse, and challenges the perception of the norm.

Throughout the Folklife Festival, the sounds of upbeat banda music and the cracks of whips wafted through the air.

In May, the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center presented a two-day event, CrossLines: A Culture Lab on Intersectionality, in the Arts and Industries Building.

On the opening day of the 2016 Folklife Festival, Basque trikitixa (accordion) sensation Kepa Junkera headlined the Ralph Rinzler Concert Stage, accompanied by five of the Sorginak.

At the 2016 Folklife Festival, the Oinkari Basque Dancers energetically twirled, jumped, and high-kicked across the Musika eta Dantza Etxea and Frontoia.

In this interview, Tmbata answers questions about their American and Armenian inspirations, the importance of Armenian folk music, and what they want to do when get to D.C. for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

Day two of the Folklife Festival ended with a welcome surprise of cross-culture.

The shapes and colors of Jesus Maria Lazkano’s landscape paintings are familiar, but his mountains float, his water falls in squares, and his icebergs hang in mid-air.