Against a tapestry of colored flags and red silks, one hundred dancers dressed in the Vietnamese Ao Dai will dance to the drumbeats of forty drummers in front of the Center for the Performing Arts in San Jose, California on September 15, marking the opening of the 2012 Ao Dai Vietnamese Cultural Festival.
The event is hosted by the Friends of Hue Foundation and the GreenRice Foundation Inc. All festival proceeds benefit the FHF Children Shelter located in Hue, Vietnam.
Designers from Vietnam and the Greater Bay Area are invited to celebrate Vietnamese visual arts, language and energy. The event is designed to promote the beauty and grace of Vietnamese women. This family-friendly event will be a stunning visual feast appealing to everyone who appreciates beauty, fashion and cultural diversity.
The Festival includes:
- Fashion Show of exquisite Ao Dai – International designers dazzle with exquisite creations from traditional to modern
- Music performed by Emmy Award Winner Vanessa Vo
- Fine Art Exhibition, curated by internationally renowned artist, Trinh
Mai, including a diverse collection of California Vietnamese Artists - Humanitarian Awards, ao Dai Fashion Awards hosted by Vicky Nguyen, NBC Bay Area
- Vietnamese Food, Silent Auction, VIP reception and more
Join us for this exciting event on September 15, 2012. Read more about the history of the Ao Dai and its significance relative to Vietnamese culture.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.