Sights & SoundsMandkhai Erdembat and Ella and Emma Chuluunbat
Mongolian contortion has existed since the 12th century as a dance called Uran Nugaralt, which translates to artistic bending. This kind of dance was prominent in the royal palaces of …
Sights & SoundsNam Phuong Nguyen and Anh Dien Ky Nguyen
The đàn bầu is a monochord (one-stringed) instrument with a central role in Vietnamese folk music. Popular legend claims the đàn bầu was first played by a blind woman in a …
Sights & SoundsJeff Bennett and Jeremy Bennett
Ever since the automobile went into mass production by the assembly lines of Detroit, it has been revised, altered, elaborated, and reconstructed in small garages and car shops throughout America. …
Sights & SoundsPhyllis Gaskins and Anna Stockdale
The regular mountain dulcimer is a fretted string instrument from the zither family which first appeared in the 19th century among Scots-Irish communities. Phyllis Gaskins, of Elkton, Virginia, plays a variant called the Galax dulcimer. …
Sights & SoundsSondus Asad Moussa and Sanaa Abdul Jalil
Despite a population of just over 50,000, Harrisonburg is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse cities in Virginia. Today, the Harrisonburg–Rockingham County community includes refugees and immigrants from …
Sights & SoundsBert Carlson and Danny Knicely
While Virginia is seldom thought of a fertile ground for jazz, the state has produced a disproportionate number of artists who have put their indelible stamp on this uniquely American …
Sights & SoundsChris Prillaman and Tanner Talley
Franklin County is famous for its long history of producing and selling moonshine, or homemade liquor. Virginia colonists were distilling corn whiskey—boiling a fermented mash of milled grain and then …
Sights & SoundsTina Ingram-Murphy and Cheryl Maroney Yancey
Christina “Tina” Ingram-Murphy is the youngest daughter of the late Richmond gospel legend Elder Maggie Ingram. Born July 4, 1930, on Mulholland’s Plantation in Coffee County, Georgia, Maggie began playing …
Sights & SoundsGrayson Chesser and P.G. Ross, Mark Ross, Drew Sturgis, and Andy Dunton
The Eastern Shore of Virginia, a narrow peninsula stretching roughly seventy-five miles between the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay, has long nourished the artistry of waterfowl decoy carving. The …
Sights & SoundsNader Majd and Ali Reza Analouei
Dr. Nader Majd was born in Sari, Iran, and began studying and playing the santur, or Persian hammered dulcimer, and violin at the age of six. He later learned to …
Sights & SoundsNate Leath and Aila and Eli Wildman
A long-time resident of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, Nate Leath grew up in Hickory, North Carolina, a town in the heart of bluegrass and old-time music country. Nate picked up his …
Sights & SoundsGary Horton and Tommy Horton
Gary Horton learned traditional logsmithing and historic home restoration from the late Don Chapman, widely considered the trade’s greatest master in Southwest Virginia. During his lifetime, Don disassembled, restored, and …
