Reveille Men's Chorus will bring a little world peace to Tucson next weekend in a culture-crossing, multimedia blowout concert.
"Dim Sum & Then Some: A Foreign Affair" will feature 14 guest groups sharing the stage with the 27-member chorus.
There will be dance troupes, vocal groups and video screens projecting the flags and sights of more than a dozen countries spotlighted in song and dance.
And spirit.
That's the purpose of the concert, which will be performed next Friday through April 27.
"Encourage awareness, understanding, respect and expression of cultural diversity in Southern Arizona," summed up stage director Mia Hansen, president of the Cultural Exchange Council. The nonprofit group hosts the annual Tucson Meet Yourself, which promotes Tucson's rich ethnic diversity.
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"The diversity of the world is what makes it wonderful. We want to show that we can do it together," added Reveille Executive Director Linus Lerner, who will conduct the concerts.
The spring concert is Reveille's biggest venture in the number of artists who will share the stage and the mission of the message. The program traverses more than a dozen countries and cultures, concluding with an ensemble performance of the computer-generated "World Anthem," which culled the genesis of 193 countries' anthems into one united message.
"It's a true collaboration of all of these groups and us and live music," Lerner said.
The chorus's biggest hurdle may have been learning to sing in several different languages — Korean, Japanese, Indian, Hawaiian and Hebrew among them — Lerner said.
"My perception of diversity in Tucson . . . is to create something that we actually do together," he said. "We can only understand the cultures of other groups by actually doing something together."
China gets the biggest spotlight turn, primarily because of its role hosting this summer's Olympic Games, Lerner said. He dismissed mostly as political posturing the swirling protests worldwide because of China's human-rights record, saying that once people relate one-to-one, they can reach consensus.
That's another theme of "Dim Sum & Then Some."
The concert opens with a trio of Chinese performances from Tucson Sino Choir, the Tucson Sino Taiji Group and the Sino Grace Dance Troupe. A guest dancer from Beijing also will perform.
The program is divided into countries and cultures, and guest artists representing the countries perform solo and with Reveille.
"I think that is a strong message," Lerner said.
Reveille is dividing proceeds from this weekend's concerts with nine nonprofit community groups, including Hansen's.
If you go
Reveille Men's Chorus presents "Dim Sum & Then Some: A Foreign Affair."
• Featuring: Fourteen guest vocal and dance ensembles representing more than a dozen cultures.
• When: 8 p.m. next Friday and April 26, 3 p.m. April 27.
• Where: Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Speedway.
• Tickets: $15 in advance through Reveille, 304-1758, or Antigone Books on North Fourth Avenue; $20 at the door, with discounts available.
• Participants: Reveille, Tucson Sino Choir, Tucson Sino Taiji Group, Sino Grace Dance Troupe, Arirang Dance Group, Aarathi School of India Dances, Maguire Academy of Irish Dance, Barbea Williams Performing Company, Mabuhay Chorus, Mabuhay Dance Group, Ner Tamid Choir, Tucson Youth Marshallese Choir, Halau Hula and her Menehune Dancers, Reveille Dancers, Capoeira Malandragem, Sambalanço.
