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Tahlequah, OK - The Cherokee Heritage Center presents "Turku - Nomads of the Silk Road" on Saturday, May 11 at 8 p.m. at the Tsa La Gi Amphitheater. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and children. Guests are invited to attend a pre-concert lecture demonstration at 7 p.m.

Turku is an eleven member ensemble of musicians and dancers who recreate exotic rhythms of the cultures of Central Asia's Silk Road from Turkey to Afghanistan. The show is ideal for family audiences with colorful costumes and tapestry. Turku's tapestry includes Turkish, Persian, Uzbek, Azeri, Kurdish, Turcomem and Romany cultures.

Turku was formed in 1996. Based out of Columbia, South Carolina, the group has toured internationally. Turku's music and video recordings have received broadcast exposure throughout North America and Europe.

So much of our attention has been focused on this area of the world in terms of politics, geography and religion. What we know about Afghanistan is reduced to sound bites, military operations and a who's who of the terrorists world. What we're missing is an understanding of the culture and Heritage of the country and it's people. Turku taps us into this unseen world and transcends cultural barriers.

The genre of "World Music" has seen tremendous growth in the past decade. What used to be a few CD's shoved into a corner is now a large and vital section of any metropolitan record store. Access to live performances of this type of music is not easy to come by as few of these band are based in the United States. The Heritage Center is thrilled to host a group so dedicated to the business of cross-cultural understanding as well as providing enlightening entertainment.

For more information on this performance, call (918) 456-6007 or visit the website.