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SPEAKER 1: A Saint Paul dance troupe is giving younger refugees a chance to celebrate their culture, and they're attracting new audiences in the Twin Cities and nationally. Danielle Wong has our story.

DANIELLE WONG: The Karen Culture Organization of Minnesota Dance Group is rehearsing before a recent performance at Twin Cities World Refugee Day. The dance begins with the men and women standing apart. They move towards each other, arms arching over their bobbing heads, as they step in time with the beat of the drum. All the while, they're singing at the top of their lungs.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(SINGING) [SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

DANIELLE WONG: The group was created in 2008, for youth to preserve and celebrate their culture through song and dance. That can be a challenge after so many years in different countries. The Karen people are an ethnic minority, and have faced violence from a military junta that's ruled Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, for more than 50 years. Many Karen have fled to refugee camps, before resettling in other countries. According to the Karen Organization of Minnesota, there are over 12,000 people who now call Minnesota home, making it the largest Karen community in the country.

Kyusei is a 22-year-old junior at Saint John's University, and helps manage finances for the Karen Dance Group. Koo himself was born in Myanmar, and grew up in the Mae La refugee camp in Thailand. He said the group has performed at traditional Karen ceremonies and multicultural celebrations, such as World Refugee Day, all across the nation. From South Dakota, to Texas, to Nebraska.

SPEAKER 2: We got invited to go perform, and we think it's a special opportunity for us to come represent the grand people in the United States or the Korean people in the Twin city.

DANIELLE WONG: 18-year-old [INAUDIBLE], known as Sula to her friends, also grew up in Thailand. She doesn't remember much from her time there, but what she does remember is her passion for dancing. When Sula moved to Minnesota, one of the first things she did was join the dance group. She's been dancing with them for seven years now, and doesn't plan to stop anytime soon.

SPEAKER 3: Because I don't want to forget my culture. I want to keep my culture alive.

DANIELLE WONG: Why is that so important to you?

SPEAKER 3: Because I'm Korean. [CHUCKLES]

DANIELLE WONG: While the Karen culture lives on in their song and dance, the group serves a larger perhaps more important purpose, providing young refugees with a second home, and for many like Kyusei, happier memories.

SPEAKER 2: Especially for me it's like, it's my family. Everyone is part of a family.

DANIELLE WONG: The Karen dance group is currently preparing for the National Karen Dawn Dance Competition on August 12.

(SINGING) [SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

[APPLAUSE]

DANIELLE WONG: Danielle Wong, Minnesota Public Radio News.