This summer, the BYU International Folk Dance Ensemble is going overseas to places it's never been before as well as traveling to an old, favorite destination.

The folk dancers were given a special invitation to perform at the U.S. Embassy in Estonia for a Fourth of July celebration, performing for many important officials.

"That is quite a prestigious invitation, and to me it sounds like it will be a great experience and a lot of fun for our students to be able to celebrate the American Fourth of July while we're in those countries," said Ed Austin, artistic director of the International Folk Dance Ensemble.

The coordinator for performance tours, Jonathan Wood, said the president of Estonia has come to this celebration in the past, and there is a good chance that he will this year.

The team started their tour yesterday, traveling to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The team has never traveled to these countries before and, for many members, it will be their first international tour.

"I'm really looking forward to it because it will be international," said Jamon Andelin, a recent graduate from Sparks, Nev. "We'll have fewer shows, so it'll give us more time to see the sites and learn more about the culture and the people."

While in the Baltic States, the group is scheduled to perform in local festivals.

"[It will be] a once in a lifetime experience, to go to a part of the world that I've never been to and to be able to share my talents with other people," said Quincy Robinson, a senior from Colonia Dublan, Mexico.

The folk dancers will perform for some of the local members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and participate in firesides with them.

"We look at it as a great opportunity to help them spread the gospel in their own countries," Austin said.

The performances will give LDS Church members a good opportunity to invite their friends to do some missionary work, he said.

After their trip to Europe, the team will go back to North America because of a special invitation.

The tour will end with a visit to the Drummondville World Folklore Festival in Quebec.

"This festival is one of the best folk dance festivals in the world," Andelin said.

For its 25th anniversary, the festival coordinators invited some of their favorite groups back to perform, and BYU's group received a special invitation to attend.

"I would consider this Drummondville festival to be one of the best festivals that we've ever been involved in, in the world," Austin said. "Their program and the way they run the festival is very exciting; they bring in thousands of people."

Overall, the experience should be an exciting experience for the team, Austin said.

"It's a wonderful time to not only to perform as Americans in another country, but we're also able to interact with wonderful people," he said.

Copyright Brigham Young University 19 Jun 2006