One of the dancers sharing the colorful culture of Mexico at the 39th annual International Friendship Day on Saturday was Nashelly Castillon-Martinez.
She came to Fairbanks in 2002 to perform for Fairbanks Concert Association with her professional dance company, Ballet Gran Fokloric de Mexico. The group performed at Hering Auditorium.
“We met,” recalled Jose Luis Martinez, a lifelong Fairbanksan who is now a well-known disc jockey and financial adviser in Fairbanks. “She left and went on to finish her tour.”
The two kept kept in touch. In January 2003, he visited her in Mexico City and met her family. She then came north and met his family. Both their visits were extended stays of about one month.
“On her birthday, April 30, 2003, I rented the Hering Auditorium for an hour where I proposed on stage,” Martinez said. “No one else was there. I had blindfolded her and walked her down the auditorium aisle and on to the stage.
“We toasted with champagne,” he said. “I put her ring in the glass.”
“Here we are, 23 years later,” he said.
At that moment on Saturday at Pioneer Park, he was cheering her on as she performed with other dancers at International Friendship Day.
It was a dance she choreographed.
Martinez was also remembering back to when his mother, Gigi Martinez, instructed a group of children, who performed Mexican cultural dances. He and his brothers were members of that group and he recalls performing at International Friendship Day, so many years ago.
Not every cultural performance had such an involved backstory, but the passion of all the performers was undeniable and many return every year. The audience was enthusiastically appreciative. Sometimes there was standing room only.
Performances included Fairbanks Youth Orchestra, Suzuki Strings, Filipino Dances & Song, North Star Ballet, Tahitian and Chinese dances, Fairbanks Tango, Turkish Spoon Dance, TaiChi demonstration, Tang Too Do Martial Arts, Tundra Caravan, Lathrop Ballroom Dance Team, Salsa and many more.
Audience members were also able to enjoy food from Thailand, the Philippines, China and Mexico.
While performers in traditional attire held attention on stage, the balcony at the Pioneer Park Centennial Center was busy with booths sharing information about countries, including the Philippines, Norway, India, Japan, Korea, Europe, the Middle East and China. Additional booths included information about the Peace Corps, Fairbanks Arts Association, Fairbanks World Tang Too Do Karate Academy, Fairbanks Diversity Council, and Fairbanks North Star School District programs. Stars of Gold Readers handed out free books.
The biggest challenge of the day may have been finding parking at or near Pioneer Park, as the massive No Kings protest took place right outside the park between noon and 2 p.m. Quite a few of those folks attended International Friendship Day when the protest ended and Friendship Day was still ongoing.
“I always feel that the Friendship Day highlights what Fairbanks people do besides their daily routines,” said longtime organizer Rosalind Kan. “It is indeed a day for our community to celebrate, share, and be proud of our community.”