NORWAY — Bring your dancing shoes and an empty belly to The Norway Arts Festival Street Dance from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, July 8, behind Fare Share Co-op, with a rain location at the OHCHS Forum.

The Norway Arts Festival is celebrating the life and work of Tony Montanaro, an internationally acclaimed mime artist and teacher, and founder of the Celebration Barn Theater. “This year really provides an opportunity to bring the Norway Arts Festival to a whole new level of entertainment by celebrating a man who was as diverse and talented as the students he brought to the area,” said performance director Rijah Newell.

The Norway Arts Festival also features the 44th annual Sidewalk Art Show on Saturday, July 9, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with more than 100 artists lining historic Main Street. A public safety initiative has allowed for Main Street to be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 9.

Caribbean Cuisine will be there with traditional island fare. The street dance begins with local favorites Dawson Hill and Friends, who opened for last year’s street dance and are back by popular demand. Dawson Hill and Friends bring a jazz funk blend. This year’s headline band, Criss Cross Orchestra guarantees a show to remember, combined with visual streaming of Tony Montanaro by visual jockey, VJ Foo.

AS220 Criss Cross Orchestra is an 11-member group directed by Obuamah Laud Addy, an award winning West African Ghanaian musician and composer. Criss Cross music is currently performed in Europe and Africa; it is defined as a crossing or combination of powerful traditional African, American, Caribbean, Cuban, Latin American and European musical styles. Featuring all original compositions, ACCO brings together polyrhythmic beats from African roots music with the melodic qualities found on the steel pans and the Irish penny whistle, along with the trumpet, saxophone, bass, guitar, percussion and vocals. 

Bonny Branch will lead a mini salsa dance class at intermission.

The Norway Arts Festival is a collaboration of two local nonprofits, Norway Downtown and The Western Maine Art Group. All events are free to the public and are made possible by local sponsors. The Street Dance is sponsored by Bruce and Ann Cook, Acme Lamprey, Cafe Nomad, Willie’s Repair, The Oxford County Democrats and Bear Foot Realty. To become a sponsor, contact Rijah Newell at 890-0545.

For more information, visit www.norwayartsfestval.org.

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