Navruz 2016 a Huge Success!

Thank you to everyone who attended our sold-out Navruz 2016 event–it was a huge success! Guests enjoyed a delicious full-course Uzbek meal, including bo’g’irsoq, somsa, and plov, and entertainment provided by the Mystic Rose Dance Company, Galina Kalujina, and the Balanced Path Studio.12932810_10153569355251448_7145359258851428086_n

We were especially honored to welcome the Second Secretary of the Uzbek Embassy, Mr. Abdufarrukh Khabirov, and the City of Seattle International Program Coordinator, Ms. Stacy Jehlik, both of whom addressed the audience. Special honors were also given to Professor Ilse Cirtautas, Founding Member and Vice-President of the STSCA, and past STSCA Presidents Dan Peterson, Diana Pearce, and George Wright.

The event also featured a raffle for desirable items, including authentic chapans and a suzanne rug, as well as the ever-popular Uzbek fashion show and diskoteka.12809729_10153569355171448_6732499568737565160_n

Thank you to everyone who helped make Navruz 2016 a very special event! The STSCA Navruz event is produced entirely by volunteers. They do exceptional work, from cooking traditional Uzbek deserts, salads and entrees and providing entertainment, to setting up tables, chairs, a stage, and setting tables for 400 people, and much more. These talented people deserve a special thank you for making the event so special:

Music Producers: Sherzod Kutfiddinov, Bobur Rakhmatulla; Performers: Emiko Nakamura, Misty, Fotima Ibrohim, Sevara Habibullaeva, Galina Kalujina, and Anton Seyduzov; Balanced Path Studio–Kwan Lee, Art Kuellar, Christian Cloud ,and Ilya Lisunov; MC and Interpreters: Lola Zakharova, Shakhida Ismailova, Fazliddin Shamziev; Volunteers: Shukrat Arifdjanov, Oydin Arifdjanova, Tim Arifdjanova, Sevara Habibullaeva, Vika Hewitt, Mamura Oltieva, Diana Pearce, Dan Peterson, Paula Quigley, Shak Saijanov, Malika Usmanova, George Wright, Kamila Yakubova, Azizillo, Dilshod, Munir, Javlon, Bobur, Nursaid, Jamol, Diyor, Jurat, Suhrob, Donier, Umid; Fred and Sharon Lundahl for the decorations and carpets; Raffle Donors: Best Buy, MIR Corporation, Music for the Eyes, ZinNur, Mamnoon Restaurant, Woodland Park Zoo, Dan Peterson, Shukhrat Arifdjanov; and all our other volunteers.

We would be remiss without extending a special thank-you to the event’s sponsors: MacDonald, Hoague & Bayless, and Vitaliy Zak, MD. Thank you for your support!

To see more photos, check out our Navruz 2016 photo album, as well as the photos on our event Facebook page.