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The weather could have been more cooperative for the first weekend of the 2008 Madison World Music Festival, during which a menacing gang of clouds threatened rain all Friday afternoon until the final band — Nation Beat — took the stage and it began to drizzle. On Saturday, the majority of events were moved from the Terrace to the Wisconsin Union Theater due to the soggy conditions. However, a little precipitation couldn’t dampen the spirits of festival attendees, as each day saw throngs of music enthusiasts listening and dancing to the varied rhythms of different world musics.

Friday included an overwhelming number of eclectic performances. The event started with the Indian ensemble Prasanna early Friday afternoon. The group displayed impressive skill performing on traditional Indian percussive instruments but then wowed the audience with their versatility by rocking an homage to Jimmy Hendrix. Later, the soulful lead singer of Mamak Khadem from Iran belted out mesmerizing melodies. Finishing the first evening of performances was the group Nation Beat, featuring a mix of American folk/bluegrass/country and Brazilian samba rhythms.

Audiences responded strongly to the inventive and unique styles of each band. A rousing round of applause, hoots and hollers followed the lengthy Hendrix tribute. Nation Beat inspired an evening of dancing, with their mixture of fiddles and surdos — the large traditional Brazilian drum. Mimicking the mixture of music styles, audience members danced samba, salsa, swing or just freely flung their various body parts into the air in some sort of synchronization with the rhythm. Despite the rain, a large group remained until the end of Nation Beat’s set, even demanding an encore. As the band finally wrapped up, an anonymous student, presumably sober, walked into the crowd and loudly proclaimed “Oh my God, man, wasn’t that the best music ever?!” and promptly walked away. This random outburst seemed to encapsulate the audience’s general reaction to the evening’s show.

Adding to the festive air Friday was the puppetry group Dragon Knights. The group featured a pair of actors, one on stilts in a giant flamingo outfit and the other walking about on foot apparently “leading” the flamingo about. Their costumes exhibited a range of colors, from greens and browns to pink, and textures, from silks to feathers while sporting faces covered with elaborately applied white, red and orange swirl patterns. The puppeteers for the flamingo masterfully articulated the movements of the giant beast’s head as it snuck up on unsuspecting people and occasionally took sips out of the unguarded pitchers of Terrace-goers.

Saturday, the action moved from the Terrace to the Wisconsin Union Theater as the rain continued overnight, soaking the Terrace stage and making the prospects of sitting outside generally unpleasant.

The day featured an equally impressive number of events: Little Cow from Hungary, Plastic People of the Universe from the Czech Republic and Reelroad from Russia played throughout the day. Out of the seemingly unending lineup, I did, however, make sure to catch the final act, Maraca from Cuba, which proved to be worth the wait. The vocals and beats were hot and spicy, and every member exhibited the highest levels of virtuosity. Once the band began their set nearly half the seats emptied — not for the lack of a good performance,, but because the audience couldn’t help but dance. The front of the stage and the surrounding aisles were quickly packed with people whirling about to the rhythms of Maraca.

Despite her best efforts, Mother Nature could not make the Madison World Music Festival a washout. From Friday to Saturday, a parade of bands from all over the world, playing styles traditional and modern, inspired audiences into cheers of “Encore!” and onto the dance floor.

If you didn’t make it to any shows this weekend, you’ll have your chance next weekend when a whole new ticket of bands takes the stage in conjunction with the Willy Street Fair.