The guest foreign groups are Milledanze (Italy), El-Funoun Popular Dance Troupe (Palestine), L’Officina – Atelier Marseillais de Création (France), and Lamusica independent theatre group (Cairo, Egypt).

Tickets for the Rhythm Diversity concerts at Lm3.50 are available from St James Cavalier (2122 3200), from Inizjamed (2131 5562) and at the door.

The three workshops of Mediterranean dance and music are open to the general public and participants need not be dancers or musicians. They will be held at the MITP theatre on Wednesday 13 (led by Milledanze) and Thursday 14 (led by El-Funoun) between 5.30pm and 8pm, and on Saturday 16 (led by L’Officina) between 3pm and 6pm at St James Cavalier.

The price for all three workshops is Lm10; one workshop costs Lm4. Bookings for the workshops can be made by phoning Inizjamed on 2131 5562 or writing to [email protected].

The price includes a presentation about the Maltese Etnika project that will be held on Monday 18 October at 5.30pm at the Tree Nursery and Visitors’ Centre of the Gaia Foundation in Ghajn Tuffieha.

The musicians and dancers who will be coming to Malta will also be leading a series of workshops in a number of State secondary schools and the first session of this year’s edition of Bokkaporti Skejjel by Inizjamed at St James Cavalier. The school workshops are being coordinated by Marcelle Teuma of Inizjamed who is a drama teacher at the Drama Unit with the Curriculum Centre of the Education Division.

On Saturday morning, between 9am and noon, a public seminar at the Hall of L’Ospizio in Floriana (close to the Public Library) will discuss the main theme of the project: “Empowering Disadvantaged Young People through Popular Music and Dance.”

The speakers include Cristiano Carpanini (Director, L’Officina), a representative from KKU, Simone Mongelli (Milledanze), Khaled Qatamish (Director, El-Funoun), and Chiara Perucca (Inizjamed). Nora Amin’s paper on “Empowering Youth through Dance” will be read by Adrian Grima. This will be followed by an open discussion. Entrance to the seminar is free.

To book for the workshops, the Etnika presentation and the public seminar phone Inizjamed on 2131 5562 or write to [email protected].

For more information about all the events in the Rhythm Diversity project go to http:// inizjamed.cjb.net. The Rhythm Diversity logo was designed by artist Pierre Portelli.