Mandarins perform in Pacific Rim Street Fest in Sacremento

The Sacramento Mandarins were once again an active participant at the 11th-annual Pacific Rim Street Fest, held yesterday in the Old Sacramento district of Sacremento. At 2 p.m. on the Riverfront Stage overlooking the Sacramento River, audience members heard the 2003 debut of the Sacramento Mandarins' 2003 show, "Black Market Bazaar." Inspired by the Silk Road trading route of the ancient Chinese Han Dynasty some 2,000 years ago, the atmosphere of this era and location is captured by three works by Alexander Borodin -- "Symphony No. 2 in B Minor," "Polovtsian Dances" from "Prince Igor" and "In the Steppes of Central Asia." The Mandarins ended with their closer, "Bacchanale" from "Samson et Dalilah" by Camille Saint-Sa?«ns. The festival featured plenty of food, performances, music and booths filled with arts, crafts and information. The street fest is planned and staged by volunteers from more than 15 Asian Pacific community groups. Their goals are to broaden the awareness and understanding of the Asian Pacific heritage, to showcase the many positive contributions to the community at large, and to lend support to cultural endeavors in the form of grants and scholarships.